Black Harts
by iwishiwerebellaswan
Summary: Bella is different. She was born different. Her life was never meant to be simple. Never meant to be her own.
1. No Other Option

**Hey Guys,**

This is a story I have spent months working on that I am really proud of. But it has been pointed out to me that there are a lot of similarities between this story and another called 'Shadows of Revenge' by DisneyRBD. I have not stolen or plagiarised any of their story. All these ideas are my own (with some feedback from my sister). Plagiarism is a serious crime that I take very seriously and do not tolerate. But I always appreciate constructive criticism and feedback to help improve my writing as this is just a hobby that I do in my spare time.

**Please keep safe everyone and enjoy,**

**-x-**

**iwishiwerebellaswan**

**xxx**

**No Other Option**

_Bella's POV_

_12th October 2017_

It had been just a normal day. Everything was normal. Sure the Cullen's were out of town. It wasn't uncommon for them to occasionally join their parents on conferences up in Seattle. It was a Friday after all. They aren't my only friends though.

I'd talked to Angela a bit in the morning before school. I went to my first class. I chatted to Jessica about going into Port Angeles after school. I ate the disgusting cafeteria food. I went to my locker to swap my books. I sat alone in Biology. I ran laps in gym. I went back to my locker to put my gym kit away whilst Jess waited by her car for me. That's when it happened.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Screams echoed out before everything was deadly silent. People rushed into the nearest classrooms, closets and bathrooms, hiding. I didn't drop everything like everyone else did. I had the expectation that something like this would happen. I was prepared for this.

Throwing my books from my locker to the floor, I pulled up the base of the locker. I lifted my handgun out and tucked it into the back of my jeans. Disappearing into the janitor's closet down the hall, I leaned against the door and just listened.

Heavy footsteps sounded out in the empty halls. There were three sets of footsteps and I knew there were more people outside. They couldn't be too careful when it came to me. I didn't exactly need any weapons to take them down. My hands were dangerous alone.

I listened to the three men pass the door and continue down the hall. The only advantage I have over them is that this is my school. I know it like the back of my hand. Forks High has a couple halls that only lead to classrooms, causing dead ends. I just have to find a way of separating the group out a little.

Slipping out of the closet, I kept my back pressed against the wall of the deserted hallway. Just as I was about to look around the corner, the sound of police sirens rang out in the silence. I pressed myself flat into the wall and let out a slow breath.

"Isabella. We know you're here. You won't get away. No one has to get hurt."

I knew that voice. I knew it well. It sent a chill down my spine. It had been so long since I'd heard his voice and I had never wanted to hear it again. But he's here.

"You two go that way. Stay alert. And watch her hands."

Closing my eyes, I listened to them walk down the hall in the direction of the sports hall. The man with that voice continued down passed the Math classrooms. With each door they passed, I could hear the fear of the innocent students on the other side. I won't let any of them get hurt though. They were innocent in all this.

Suddenly another gunshot went off and I jumped slightly at the surprise of it. No one was hit. I knew that much. But what was it that was hit?

Going back along the hall, I kept my feet light and pulled the gun from my jeans. I opened the gym closet door slightly, sliding inside. On the other side of the closet was another door. One leading to the gym. Inching it open a fraction, I could see the two men that had been sent this way.

They were both very large. Big muscles covered their arms, something they had worked hard for as they needed them. Their job required the strength. They are the bodyguards of the agents. Which means they don't mind getting their hands dirty. Not good. They wouldn't pay any mind to killing someone here. I didn't recognise either, so I didn't know what they were capable of. One had slick black hair, the other a stark contrast of white hair.

The black-haired man approached the cupboard. He didn't open it though. My opportunity came when he turned around, his arm lowering to his side. Flinging the door open, I grabbed his arm and twisted it round his back. He dropped his gun to the floor. Pointing my gun over his shoulder, I aimed it at the very shocked man across the room. I heated my hand up causing the man in my grip to groan in pain.

"Don't say anything. Drop the gun."

He did as I said and raised his hands.

"Kick it away from you."

He didn't so I clicked the gun.

"I will shoot you. You know that. I am Isabella and I'm not scared to kill you."

"Ohhh. Isabella. How sweet. You've changed a lot, haven't you? Not so little anymore."

I didn't turn around. I knew there was a gun pointed to the back of my head. I knew he was sneering at me. He never liked me. I was better than him. And he resented that fact.

"Dean."

"You look more like a woman than a baby. You've grown up so much. You know that I always hated you, but now… well as much as I want you dead right now, there are other plans for you. So why don't you just drop the gun and put your hands on your head? No one needs to get hurt."

"You really think I'm just going to come with you? Just like that? After all these years? I'm not going to give up this life because of you. I'll give you a chance to leave. If not, I can't promise you'll get out alive. And I know how much you value your life."

I gave the man across the room a wicked smile and winked at him. Despite the strength the man held, he noticeable shivered in pure fear at the way I spoke.

"Do you really want to start something so violent Isabella? I would have thought your father raised you better."

"If you don't remember, I wasn't raised by my father."

"Of course not. You were raised by us. So you belong to us. He wants you back."

"Why me?"

"You were always his favourite. He had great plans for you. He still does. And now that you're 18, he has even greater plans for you. He won't give up until you are back where you belong."

"I'm not a belonging, I'm a person."

Firing the gun, I hit the blonde man in the shoulder, and he collapsed to the ground. With my hands blazing, the man in my grasp cried in pain. Shooting over my shoulder, Dean grunted as the bullet scrapped past his arm, slicing open his skin. I spun around with the gun directly pointed at him. I heard the rustling sounds behind me and pulled the black-haired man between me and the bullet flying towards me. He crashed to the ground, twitching before stilling.

"Stop this Isabella. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your fellow classmate."

He swung the door behind him open to reveal a shaking girl with her wrists bound and a man standing behind her. The man held a gun to her head and shoved her forwards. I recognised her. She was only a Sophomore. Lucy, I think that was her name. Tears were streaming down her face, her lip quivering in fear. Her eyes landed on me and then the gun in my hands. Her eyes glazed over the dead man behind me and the man on the floor of to the side. She whimpered.

"Let her go."

"Now there's the weak girl that I remember."

Clicking the gun into Dean's face, the man behind Lucy grabbed her roughly and held the gun flesh against her temple. She screamed and struggled feebly against him.

"You know what you need to do to save her life."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked into Lucy's eyes. She was begging for her life, terrified it was going to end here and now. I dropped the gun and held my hands in the air. Dean held both my wrists in a vice like grip so that both my hands were glued to the back of my head.

"Don't move your hands."

Pointing the gun at my head, he grabbed my neck and pushed me through the school. The man holding Lucy tied her up in the gym closet and left her there. At least she was safe. But now I had to figure out how I was going to end this. I'd have to kill them. There are no other options. It's been so long since I've killed someone though.

The red and blue flashing lights of the cop cars lit up my face as Dean pushed me outside. Every cop in Forks was here. They were surrounding the front entrance, crouched behind cars in the parking lot. I had wondered why they hadn't evacuated the parking lot, but I realised why quickly. There were three men on the roof with shot guns. Everyone was cowering behind the cars as best they could. Along with the three on the roof, there were four men standing around the front entrance of the school. All were aiming their own guns back at the police.

And there, crouched by his cruiser, was my dad. A lone tear ran down my cheek as I looked at the struggling expression on his face. Then he saw me. Collapsing to the ground, he dropped his hands that were clutching at his gun.

"Bella. Let her go. Let her go or I'll shoot."

"Now I wouldn't do that if I were you, Chief Swan."

I struggled against the hands on me. The grip tightened around my neck and the gun pressed tighter against my temple.

"Stop this Isabella."

I could hear multiple guns clicking as I was pushed closer to a black van. The side door was slid open. There was no number plate on it so it would be impossible to follow for a long period of time.

I was running out of time to end this. I couldn't let them take me. I'd been free for so long. I wasn't going to let it end just like that. I couldn't. I wanted my life. It's mine to live and do as I please.

Everyone knew what was going on. Everyone knew that I was being held hostage. They didn't know why though. All of their hearts were beating so fast as they huddled together for safety. I couldn't put them in danger, but I couldn't go with these men. I had to kill them. It was the only way. But they'd send more to get me at another time. I just needed a little more time. I wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I had to leave. I needed to see Edward one more time.

Shoving my elbow backwards, it hit against the bullet scrape on Dean's arm. He cried in pain and clutched at his shoulder. Grabbing the gun from his fingers I pulled the trigger three consecutive times in different directions. I then brought it down to Dean's face. His long hair had fallen in front of his face, so he flicked it over his shoulder.

He kept his injured arm firmly pressed into his side. Raising his other arm, he held his hand up to me. A sadistic grin spread across his face as his eyebrows rose.

"You don't want to do this Isabella. They'll shoot."

"I don't care."

"Really now?"

Each of the four men in front of the school clicked their guns and lowered them in the direction of a police car. Each of their guns were aimed at my Dad. I cried out loud and shook the gun in Dean's face. He laughed.

"Drop the gun Isabella."

"Bella. Bella don't do what he says."

"Leave him alone."

My feeble voice could only be heard by Dean.

"He wants you back more than anything Isabella. You know that if you fight your father will face the consequences. Do you really want to lose another parent?"

I dropped the gun and slowly placed my hands back on my head. Dean was quick to grab hold of me again.

"Bella. No."

Reluctantly, I let him push me towards the black van. The two men that had been in the school, that were still alive, made their appearance out of the school building. They climbed into the front of the van all the while keeping their guns pointed out of the windows. The four figures then climbed into a different van. The cops twitched and brought their guns closer to themselves to get a better aim.

I was lifted up and thrown into the back of the van. Dean was in behind me before tyres screeched and we were off. Kicking at him, I tried to fight him off, but I couldn't. With my hands red hot, I grabbed onto his arm causing him to cry in pain. I didn't realise the white-haired man from early was behind me. I didn't know he had a syringe in his hand until I became drowsy. Things started spinning and my muscles turned to jelly. Dean was in my face, laughing and jeering at me. Finally my eyes closed, and I was lost.


	2. FBI

**FBI**

_Third Person_

_12th October 2017_

"Get everybody onto the football field. Safely. We need to secure the school."

The Police Officers on the scene glanced around, scared, but started crawling in different directions. Only Chief Swan stayed put as he had gone into shock. His colleague moved by his side, ready to protect him if necessary. All the students that were outside, that had been crouched behind cars, were guided quickly away from their cover and round the side of the school buildings to the football field. Filing onto the bleachers, they were all shaken from the shootings, cold setting in. They clutched at each other, some crying, other's frozen in shock.

"The school is secure. All the intruders are gone; apart from the three that were shot on the roof and there seems to be one in the gym. The FBI have been called in. We need professionals working on this."

"Okay. Clear the kids from the school. Take them down the road to the community centre. They'll need to calm down and then be questioned if they're up to it."

"We'll start with the west side and bring them round the side and through the forest."

"I'll get someone to take the Chief back to the station."

Forks' Police Officers showed strength as they entered the school bringing relief to the students who'd locked themselves in classrooms and bathrooms. Two Officers blocked off the gymnasium and cornered off the crime scene. As they did so they discovered Lucy. She was in tears, shaking in pure fear. When she saw the familiar Policemen, her shoulders shook as she was racked with sobs.

"Lucy Peters?"

She nodded frantically, unable to speak.

"You're okay. We're going to get you out of here. You're safe now."

One of the Officers turned away and spoke into his walky-talky. The other, cut the ropes binding her wrists. She collapsed forwards but was caught by the Officer. They carried her out of the building and put her straight into the back of an ambulance. It rushed away with her safely inside.

When all the students of Forks High School were either outside on the bleachers or in the community centre, the Police made their way onto the rooftop. Examining each of the three men, they noticed that the shots that killed them were in exactly the same place; dead centre of their foreheads. None of them could believe what had happened. They'd seen the shots made by Isabella Swan, but the results seemed to be that off a professional hitman.

Setting up tents over the top of each body and military gun, they tried to preserve the crime scene. None of them were trained enough to deal with something of this magnitude and the FBI Agents wouldn't arrive until later in the evening.

Chief Swan was sat behind his desk, a coffee in front of him. He could still see the look on his daughters face when the guns had been turned on himself. She was so terrified but so determined at the same time. He'd seen that look before; when she'd returned to live with him, after she'd disappeared. When that happened, it wasn't like before. He knew she hadn't been kidnapped. She emailed him once a month for five months before returning.

"Chief? The FBI are here now. There's a briefing meeting before we take them to the school."

He looked gauntly around the room, not actually seeing what was going on in front of him. Standing up, he was led aimlessly through the station and into the work room. Two boards had already started being crafted, ready for the investigation.

"Chief Swan? We'll do everything we can to bring your daughter back. We're going to need your full cooperation on this."

He glanced up at the somewhat young but highly experienced FBI agent. He didn't see him. He could still only see the events of the school shooting.

There were six FBI agents from Seattle. They'd be working the case with the assistance of the Forks Police team. Special Agent Torrode was in charge. He'd led dozens of cases in the last six years, when he'd been promoted to the position. But the team he had now had only been working together a year. He'd personally handpicked each member for their different skills. Agent George Sampson was one of the best computer analysts in the country. He used to be a private contractor but turned to governmental work. He worked closely with Agent Simon Soccorso, another computer analyst. They'd trained together at Quantico, both fighting for top of the class. Whilst Sampson was better at hacking, Soccorso had created different software and sold them to the government. Then there was Agent Melanie Tiff, she specialised in forensic analysis. Partner of three years, Agent John Carter, they were the most efficient duo working in the Seattle division. The final member of the team was Agent Carla Morossa. Psychologist with a doctorate from Princeton. Each offered something different to the team, and in just a year of working together, they'd been recognised as one of the best in the country.

The agents sat around the table, Sampson leaning against the wall. The Forks Officers joined them but kept out of the way; they knew they would be of little use to the investigation. They were just there for manpower.

"I'm Special Agent Jack Torrode. We need to move on this case quickly. No one expects anything like this to happen in such a small town, so they aren't prepared for it. Now, we need to establish a motive for taking the victim in the first place. Then we can try to figure out where she may be and whether she is still alive. From what I know of already, I am certain she is. This is my team Agent Morossa is working background and character profiles. Agents Tiff and Carter are our forensic duo. Agents Sampson and Soccorso specialise in computers, they'll find CCTV footage of the vehicle in question and any previous footage of the captors. We need your cooperation and help to bring Isabella back. Let's get to work. We have a lot to be getting on with."

There was a flurry of activity as everyone returned to what they were doing. Agents Torrode, Morossa, Tiff and Carter split into Forks' Cruisers and headed down to the school. The other two Agents headed down to the community centre to take statements from the students of Forks High that had been inside the school at the time.

The Deputy to Chief Swan, Officer Jefferson, walked them through the occurrences of what they suspected had happened.

"A black van pulled up here. Three men got out and one fired three shots in the air. The students that were out here crouched behind cars and ran behind the building, that way."

They pointed out the tyre marks that were made when the black van had arrived. Taking them down the drive, Jefferson pointed to some crushed branches at the side of the road.

"Another van pulled up here. Four more men got out and stood around the front of the building. There were another three men up on the roof. We don't yet know how they got there. No one saw them arrive."

Leading them through the school, they pieced together what they already found out from the students.

"The first three men came in through the main door and made their way down towards the English rooms first. We know that they split up at some point. The leader continued down this way."

He pointed out a shell casing on the floor. Torrode bent down and analysed the casing.

"It's a military grade casing. These are hard to come by, even on the black market."

Looking up at the noticeboard, he saw where the bullet had landed. There was a picture of Isabella, half hidden in a class picture from a trip to the Port Angeles art museum. The bullet was buried right in the centre of her chest, having gone through the face of another student.

"He'd then come this way to the Maths department. As classes were over for the day, there weren't many people around. Most got out of the building at the first gun shots. Unfortunately, there was a student hiding out in this classroom. Lucy Peters. The man took her hostage and dragged her to the gym at gun point."

They walked down to the gym. As soon as the doors opened, the FBI Agents stopped short. Carter and Tiff moved forwards, examining the dead body. There was a selection of bullet casings around the floor, confusing every as to what happened. The only people with guns had been the intruders. Agent Morossa sent a picture of the dead man to the station to get started on identifying him.

"So who do you think shot this man?"

"That would have been Isabella. Lucy was witness to it all. She's at the hospital and will remain there over-night. She's experienced no injury other than minor contusions to the wrists from where she was tied up in the storeroom over there. Her Doctor won't allow questioning until the morning."

"We'll speak with her when we can."

"Isabella killed him?"

"Yes."

Morossa shook her head back and forth, stunned with the skill of the kill.

"Well she wasn't the one to fire the shot but pulled the man in between herself and the bullet. She did shoot the three men on the roof though. We've looked through her locker and you'll be surprised at what we found."

"Show me."

Agent Torrode followed Officer Jefferson back out into the hall as the others continued examining the gym. At Bella's locker, Torrode pulled on a clean set of Nitrile gloves. Bella's locker wasn't locked but closed over. She hadn't had the chance to close it before. It was pulled open and Agent Torrode froze for a moment.

"This was in here?"

"Yes. The last students that saw her before the lockdown said she was changing her books over. It seems she was prepared for something like this to happen. She certainly knows how to shoot. After what has happened, I wouldn't be surprised if she could handle this type of knife."

"She's 18?"

"Only just. It was her birthday last month. The Chief was a little upset. No father wants his daughter growing up. Especially not Chief Swan."

"I saw in her file that she's been kidnapped before."

"Yes. She was kidnapped six weeks before her fourth birthday. There was no trace of what happened. One night she was there, the next she was nowhere to be found. All that we could find was a hair clip that her mother had given to her at the bottom of her window; on the outside."

"When was she found?"

"She wasn't found. She came back to Forks. Right to her doorstep actually. She was 13. She never spoke of what happened to her."

"Did you ever find out who kidnapped her?"

"No. But it has to be connected with these events. She seemed to be aware of who it was that attacked her this afternoon."

"And her Mom was killed two years ago?"

"Yes. She and her new husband were brutally attacked in their home in Arizona. Bella was living with them at the time. She called 911 when she got home to find her Mom and Stepfather dead. After that she disappeared."

"Kidnapped?"

"No. She sent an email to her Dad once a month. No one knows where she had gone. She came back to Forks five months later and never said a word."

Agent Torrode lifted one of her schoolbooks and flicked through it. Placing it back, he closed the locker over. Looking along the hall, he tried to find something, anything, but saw nothing. They headed outside again and looked round the parking lot. There was an eerie sort of silence, one that seemed out of place.

"So Isabella was standing here. Her hands like this and the leader of this attack was holding her wrists, a gun at her head."

"If one of the men was killed inside, how did she end up hostage out here?"

"We aren't sure. We're hoping to get those answers from Lucy."

"And if Bella was held hostage, how did the three men on the roof get shot?"

"No one had a clear view when it happened, so we aren't sure of the details. She also moved so fast. But Isabella managed to get the gun from the leader before he could pull the trigger. She turned and shot the three men on the roof consecutively. It was a repetitive Bang, Bang, Bang."

"Did her father teach her to shoot?"

"No. He didn't want her anywhere near a gun ever. But he'd taught her a little self-defence over time. After she was kidnapped, he wanted her to be able to defend herself if anything happened again."

The mystery was building and building.

"So Isabella was stood here pointing a gun in that direction. One-man dead inside, three more on the roof. How is this possible? I just don't understand. How does an 18-year old girl who has never touched a gun shoot down four grown men?"

"She almost got away too. She was going to shoot the rest of them but gave in."

"Why? She'd killed four; another few wouldn't make that much difference."

"They aimed their weapons on her father. They weren't messing around. They knew who he was. And if they had to, they would have killed everyone here to get to Isabella. Something happened to her that she never let on to."

"I think it's safe to say that she is alive, and she will be for a while. Whatever went on here, they need her for some reason… Show me the roof."

Up on the roof, Torrode had to take a minute.

"…Isabella shot these men from down there. She had pinpoint precision. With such accuracy, she would have had military style training."

"I haven't seen any police officer shoot as well as she does. They must have trained her the first time they kidnapped her. But why? Why would they train a young girl to kill?"

"Child assassins would be the perfect undercover agents. Unethical, but smart. The question is why her? She's a small-town girl so would be missed immediately. Why not someone from a major city? Less focus would be on that one case. Hundreds of children go missing in large populated areas."

Taking one more glance around, he called for his team to come up and start collecting data.

"Let's get wrapped up here. It looks like rain coming in. And it's getting late."


	3. Determination

**Determination**

_Third Person_

_12th October 2017_

Having returned to the station, Special Agent Torrode started directing operations from there. He ordered rushed blood samples to be sent off to Seattle for testing, hoping they could match them to their records. Two hours after setting through everything, his phone started ringing.

"Boss, we have a situation. The body in the gym, he has a hand shaped burn on his forearm."

"A burn?"

"Yes. It's as if someone's hand was pressed against a fire and then grabbed him."

"Take photos and have Sampson analyse the hand. Get started on a forensic work up of the burn."

"Will do boss. From what I can tell so far, the hand is small, most likely a female. It's new, made in the last eight hours. Received before death. It doesn't make sense."

"You think it was Isabella's hand?"

"Most likely. She may have been wearing a conductive glove or something, but there is no evidence of one so far."

"Okay. When you get something, let me know."

Whilst he was on the phone the front desk received a call from the hospital. Deputy Jefferson answered before going along to Torrode.

"Sir, Lucy Peters has asked to speak to you. She's insisting on talking tonight. Wants to help."

"Alright. Can you drive me down to the hospital?"

"Of course."

As rain started to pound against the ground, Torrode and Jefferson climbed into the Chief's cruiser. They drove slowly, unable to see 6 feet in front of them. There was no one else out on the roads though. After what had happened, everyone was home, hiding behind their curtains.

"How old is Lucy?"

"15. She's a Sophomore."

"Will her parents be there?"

"No. Visiting hours are over so they went home. From what the nurse said, Lucy wanted to talk to us earlier, but her parents refused. They want her to rest before she does."

"I'm glad she wants to speak. Some take days before they are ready to talk about trauma."

They pulled into the parking lot of the only hospital for miles around. As they entered the building, a nurse, who was stood by the desk waiting for them, approached.

"Officer, Lucy is tired and needs rest. She's asked to speak to you tonight against doctors' orders."

"I understand. We won't be long. We just have a few questions for her."

"This way."

"Why has she been kept in? I thought she had no injuries."

"She has a sprained wrist, but the Doctor wanted to keep her in for observations overnight. They'll do another psych test in the morning. But she should be free to go after that."

The nurse knocked on the door of a private room. Pushing it open, she revealed a tired looking young girl. Her eyes widened when the nurse let the two men in.

"Lucy, I'm Special Agent Torrode. From the FBI."

He held up his badge. She reached out for it and analysed it closely. Despite knowing it was stupid, she was terrified that the men were going to come back.

"Sit. I'm sure you have questions."

"I do. And I'm hoping you have the answers. Would you like the nurse to sit in with us?"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine."

"Okay."

The nurse gave Lucy a comforting smile before leaving, closing the door tightly behind her. Officer Jefferson leaned against the counter by the door, staying out of the way. Torrode lifted out his phone.

"Do you mind if I record our conversation? So my team can listen to it later."

"Sure."

He placed it down on the little tray table, setting up to record.

"I appreciate you wanting to talk to us so quickly, Lucy. You don't know how important this is."

"Bella saved my life. I want to help find where those men took her."

"Thank you, Lucy. If at any point you want to stop, just say. Whilst this is important, it can wait until tomorrow."

"I don't know Bella well. I've seen her around the cafeteria a few times. We've never spoken."

"That's okay. Why don't you just tell me what happened today? Start wherever you like."

"Um, well, I'd been talking to Ms Simmons about an extra credit assignment at the end of class. So when I got to my locker, there was no one else around. Then… then I heard the shots."

She took a deep breath, tears clouding her vision. Her fingers gripped the rough material of the bedsheet.

"I… I hid in the nearest Math classroom. I pulled the blind down on the door's window and hid behind the teacher's desk. It was so quiet I was scared they'd hear my breathing. I was texting my friends, asking what was happening. They told me there were gunmen outside the school. After a couple minutes, I heard this voice. This man, he said 'Isabella. We know you're here. You won't get away. No one has to get hurt.' I didn't know who they were talking about. There are a couple Isabella's in school. But they were definitely looking for someone in particular. There was silence again. I thought they'd gone to the other end of the school. But there was another gunshot, just down the hall from the room I was in. I… I thought they'd shot someone."

"No one was shot."

"I know. I asked the Doctor."

Letting out a long breath she'd been holding, Lucy wiped her eyes.

"The door was then opened. I held my breath. But he… he found me."

Her voice cracked, and she sniffed her nose.

"He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up. He said 'you'll do'. He dragged me down towards the gym. As we got closer, I heard voices. But he didn't take me into the room. Another man had come up behind us. He grabbed me, pointing a gun at my head. I tried to struggle against him. The other man pushed the gym door open. His gun clicked as he pointed it out. I heard people talking, someone said something like 'you belong to us'. There were two gunshots. And then a gap and another one. I… I didn't know what was happening."

"How long was the gap?"

"Um… maybe a couple seconds?"

"I'm going to count to 10. Give me a number at the end. Even if it is just a range."

Torrode counted out 10 exact seconds, staring at his watch.

"I don't know. Maybe 6 or 7."

"Good. What happened next?"

"The um… the door was opened, and the man dragged me in. Bella, she… she had a gun in her hand. She was holding it up. Like this."

She lifted her arm, holding it out straight, her eyes cold.

"There was a man… he was dead on the floor. Another guy was lying on the floor, his hand holding his shoulder. He'd been shot. And the leader guy, he had a cut on his shoulder, like a bullet had just missed him. Bella, she told them to let me go. The leader, he said 'there's the weak girl that I remember'. He knew her."

"You're sure that's what he said?"

"Yes. They knew each other."

"That's really helpful information, Lucy."

She gave him an appreciative smile, thankful for his encouragement.

"Bella, she clicked the gun in the Leader's face, but when the man behind me pressed the gun to my head, she faltered. She dropped the gun and held her hands into the air. The leader grabbed her wrists and held her hands on the back of her head. He put his gun to the back of her head and started pushing her out of the gym. The guy that was shot in the shoulder followed them. I was pulled into the closet and tied to the post. They left me alive. Bella, she gave herself up for me. Why would she do that?"

"Because your life is important. From what we've learnt so far, Bella knew what she was doing. She knew that those men would have killed you, and most of the rest of the school if she didn't go with them. This situation, it's unusual. Bella knew what would happen when she dropped her gun."

"Have you heard from the kidnappers? Is there a ransom or something?"

"We don't think she was kidnapped for a ransom. The leader knew her. We suspect that this is a consequence of what happened when she was a child. But we are doing everything we can. Resources are better and we are acting on this much faster than in 2003."

There was a knock on the door and the nurse opened it.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but, Lucy needs rest. I have to ask you to leave."

"Okay. Thank you."

Placing his hand over Lucy's, Torrode leaned forwards.

"Thank you for your determination to speak to us tonight, Lucy. You've helped fill in a big gap as to what happened today. I'm going to send a colleague over tomorrow to ask you some more specific questions. But here's my personal number. If you ever need to contact me, just give me a call. I almost always answer."

"I want to help. Everyone knows what happened to Bella. My parents helped with the search when she went missing. I grew up hearing the stories. When she came back, it was a miracle. She's always been different. I just hope we can find her and not have to wait ten years before she comes back again."

"We are doing everything we can. Get some rest."

Leaving Lucy to sleep, Torrode and Jefferson climbed back into the cruiser.

"Lucy said that Bella new the leader. What does that mean?"

"It means that there is an organisation out there, that has been praying on kids for more than a decade. And it is going to be almost impossible to find Bella. I've read up on the original case file. There was no evidence of anything. For a case that went on ten years, the file should take up several boxes. There were two on different suspects that were all questioned. Four boxes on false evidence. The relevant information fit in one folder. This organisation is good. I'm just hoping Bella's left a few clues along the way."


	4. Pain

**Pain**

_Bella's POV_

_13th October 2017_

Everything hurt. And I couldn't breathe. You could never breathe here. I was submerged in a neurological gel that kept me incapacitated. Its organic makeup allowed a person to be kept inside for all eternity as its high volume of oxygen meant that my skin was absorbing the oxygen directly. And the consistency of the gel provided H2O and the plant-based nature provided nutrients.

I'd spent many days inside this tank before. I knew there was no point in trying to move; it was an impossible task. All I could do was wait. The pain would end soon. That's the purpose of the tank. Punishment. You are fully conscious the entire time. My body felt suffocated. My skin was pulled tight over my body, the water diffusing through my body.

Suddenly I was free. Shooting upwards, I coughed and spluttered. My eyes wouldn't open, but I knew where I was. Well sort of. My fingers clutched at the sides of the now empty glass box, stretching out. Curling my toes, I arched my back and it cracked.

"Welcome back Isabella. I'm sure you're expecting some kind of welcome home party. You'll be sorely disappointed. You have a meeting with me in ten minutes. And then Sebastian wants to see you."

Forcing my eyes open, the goop that I had been laid in blurred my vision. That didn't stop me seeing the fiery red of Victoria's hair. I thought I would never see her again. I had nightmares about being back here.

The room was white. Nothing but four pristine white walls. Just one metal table in the middle of the room, the glass casing I was laying in and a tube underneath. The case had been filled with the transparent blue jelly, keeping me prisoner, but the tube had sucked it all out at Victoria's command. My clothes had been stripped from me, leaving me naked.

Spitting out the tasteless jelly, I frowned at Victoria's back. She spun on her heels and waved her hands around.

"Hurry up Isabella. We don't have all day."

"Bitch."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Shower and dress. Bodyguards will be here to bring you to my room…"

She stood at the door, one immaculate red painted hand on her hip.

"…And don't bother starting a fire, sprinklers will turn on instantly."

She left the room swiftly, locking the door behind her. I climbed out of the tank and looked around the room. This was my life again. There was no way out. Not now.

I showered and dressed, numb to the world. Standing in the middle of the room, I tilted my head to the side as the door was pulled open. I didn't recognise the two men dressed in black that stepped into the room. They flanked me on either side. They most have got all new muscle in since I left.

The halls seemed never ending. Just a constant dull grey. My arms swung a little by myside, my feet silent against the cold faux wood flooring. Even though most of the halls looked the same, I began to recognise where I was. The heavy metal doors meant we were passing the isolation rooms. I would be living in one of those rooms for a while. New people always do before moving into a shared dormitory. Victoria's therapy rooms aren't far from them. Everyone has scheduled appointments with her. You don't have a choice whether you go or not. Two of the bodyguards are always there to drag you if they have to.

The familiar door to Victoria's room was opened. She sat there behind her desk, smiling at me. I knew how this would go: I'd sit there, she'd ask questions, I'd answer a select few of them, I'd ask my own questions but wouldn't get a response. It's the same thing every time.

Sitting in one of the brown chairs, I crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. She dismissed the two bodyguards. I wouldn't harm her, she knew that. She had nothing to be worried about. We stared at each other for a few moments. I knew not to speak first. It would only give her the idea that I would be willing to answer her questions. I'd made that mistake one too many times.

"How are you feeling Isabella?"

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms over.

"Okay."

She started noting things down.

"So you're 18 now. So much older than when I last saw you. How was the outside world?"

"Interesting."

Her eyes flicked up to me and paused.

"Your father is alive."

"Naturally."

Setting her pen down, she folded her fingers together.

"And why would you say that?"

"If he was dead, I would have nothing left to lose. You can't afford that. Can you? Sebastian needs me to cooperate. As long as my father is alive, you have me."

"And if your father dies? How will you know?"

"Trust me. I'll find out."

She gave me one of her patronizing smiles and sat back.

"You are here, Isabella, because you were never supposed to leave. Training will resume tomorrow as if it never stopped. You will not interact with any other recruits here. Breakfast is at five am sharp. You will be dressed for half five. Training begins at half five. You have a three-hour session in the gym. Ten-minute breaks are given and then you must be ready for physical combat training. Lunch will be served in your room at one o'clock. You have two hours of quiet time after that. If you wish for a book to read, you will be given one. Any damage to a book will prevent you from having any other privileges. Lessons are from ten forty till six. You have a session with me every day after your lessons. The serving of dinner varies depending on how long our sessions last. You have the opportunity to return to the gym in the evening, but lights are out at ten. Do you understand Isabella?"

"Yes. Sounds quite simple really."

"Good. You will meet your handler in the gym tomorrow. And no, it's not Patrick. He was dismissed."

I knew what that meant. He'd been killed. They didn't need him anymore and because they couldn't just let people go, they killed them. That's how it works.

There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open. Sebastian.

"Isabella! How good of you to join us again."

"Sebastian."

He strode into the room and took Victoria's seat, she having stood.

"I was disappointed when you decided to leave. I thought out of everyone, you would have stayed. You always excelled more than the others."

"What can I say? I wanted to see my family."

"You aren't fit for the normal world, Isabella. You belong here. Anyway, let's not worry about that now, it's all in the past. We've set targets for you. Targets that you will reach in the next few months."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why now? You could have come for me anytime."

"All you need to concern yourself with is your training. Which starts in the morning. So you need your sleep. I'm sure you're tired."

He stood and turned to Victoria.

"Have you told her who her new trainer is?"

"No. I thought it best a surprise."

Looking round at me, he was smirking. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him smiling. It was a little disconcerting.

"A surprise it will be. I have business for the next few days. I'll see you at the end of the week, Isabella. I wanted to see you before I left though."

Without another word, he was out the door.

"Dean will be here in just a few minutes. Do you have any questions for me?"

"What mission am I needed for? I'm guessing that's why I've been brought back."

"As Sebastian said, you only need to think about training."

"Does Sebastian still not trust you enough to tell you what's going on Victoria? Such a shame."

She looked smug. That was new.

"Things are a little different around here now Isabella. You will understand soon enough."

The corners of her lips twitched, and she began writing in her notepad again. A knock on the door sounded. Neither of us made a move to look at it, still staring at each other. She called out for them to enter. There was just the sound of footsteps before the chair beside mine was dragged backwards.

"Victoria."

"Dean. I've just explained how things are going to work for Isabella."

"Good. Isabella."

He turned to me and grinned.

"You look much better now. One of us, doesn't she Victoria?"

I looked down to my clothes. I hadn't paid any attention when I'd put them on. I was just wearing a pair of high waisted skinny black pants and a black sports bra.

"We need you back on assignment Isabella. We've got a situation that needs to be dealt with and we need you. The newer recruits aren't like you or the others. And we can't risk anything."

"So you can't do it yourself? That must be so demoralizing to you Dean."

"I don't go on assignments any more Isabella. Aside from retrieving high value assets."

"Too old? What a shame. We can't all be young for what seems like forever."

"You haven't lost your tongue then? Always so fiery aren't you Isabella?"

"That's how you made me."

"If that is all Dean, I think it time for Isabella here to become acquainted with her room. It is almost ten o'clock after all."

"Sure. I'll show her myself."

Dean stood up and turned towards me. He guided me out of the room and back through the halls. Opening one of the heavy metal doors, he showed me my new room. The walls were bleak; a little bit of mould in the top corner. A metal bed hung from cold metal chains attached to the wall. There was a quilt over the top along with a pillow. It looked like the extremely uncomfortable bed I'd grown up on. But with the amount of energy I'd be exerting during the day I'd sleep easily. There was a single metal chest of drawers that held all my clothes and shoes in. They'd all be exactly the same as what I'm wearing now. There's no sign of life other than the main metal door, and the one to the side for the bathroom.

"You know where everything is. Someone will bring your dinner in a couple minutes. No causing trouble, or you'll have me to answer to. Do you understand what I'm implying?"

"Yes I do. And thanks, but no thanks. Can you bring a book along with dinner? Thanks. I'll be here if you need me… It's not like I have a choice."

Whispering the last part to myself, I plonked myself down on the bed and leaned against the wall. Dean smirked at me before leaving. The heavy door slammed shut and I was locked away. Just like before. Sighing, I pulled my knees up to my chest and lay my forehead on them. Why can't life just leave me alone?


	5. Questions

**Questions**

_Third Person_

_13th October 2017_

After a long night working through the hours, the Police were no closer to finding Isabella. Chief Swan had been driven home. He fell asleep numbly only to wake a couple hours later. Once the sun had risen Agent Torrode and Agent Morossa knocked on his front door. They had some questions but were apprehensive about how many answers they may get. This man had lost his daughter not just once or twice but over and over again. Sat at the small, round, wooden kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of them, the two agents exchanged a glance.

"Chief Swan, we were wondering if we could ask you some questions about your daughter? Just to get some more background."

"Sure."

His eyes were red and puffy as he'd been crying the night before.

"Agent Morossa has some pictures that we need you to look at. Is this your daughter Chief Swan?"

A picture of a thirteen-year-old Isabella Swan was placed in front of Chief Swan.

"Yes."

"And when was this picture taken?"

"Three weeks after she came back. She was 13."

"Have you seen this newspaper article before?"

A print-out of a newspaper clipping was placed on the table.

"Yes. That was written after she came back. A journalist came around asking to speak to her about what happened. We denied any comments. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She refused to see the psychologists."

"Did you read this associated article?"

A follow up article was slid in front of him.

"No. I've never seen that before."

"Do you recognise this boy?"

The image of a young blonde-haired boy appeared in front of him. Charlie stared at him, slight hope igniting that these FBI Agents had something.

"No. Does he know something?"

"We don't know. He was kidnapped just after his fourth birthday. He reappeared in his hometown a day before Isabella."

"You think he was kidnapped by the same people?"

"It's possible."

"Where is he now?"

The Agents glanced at each other.

"We don't have that information yet. But, did Isabella ever mention someone named Chris, or Christopher?"

"No. She never mentioned the name. She never really told me anything."

"Okay. Could you tell me if you recognise this girl?"

The picture of a beautiful 14-year-old girl was placed on the table. She had her hair in ringlets around her face, flowers threaded around the crown of her head. She had a baby pink dress on; she was at a wedding. An amazingly wide smile was spread across her face.

"No. She looks happy though. Bella never looked like that."

"She was reported missing six months after your daughter in California. She was 4. On the same day as Isabella, she appeared on her front doorstep."

"So you can talk to her? Ask her what happened?"

"Ashley drowned last year."

"What did the report say?"

"It was an accident."

"Did she say anything, before she died?"

"No. If connected, it appears that whatever happened, they were either too scared or too ashamed off what happened."

"Ashamed? Why would Bells be ashamed?"

"Chief, we are only speculating at this moment. We have no concrete evidence. But we have to consider all possibilities."

"Are you implying that she… that my daughter was… sexually abused? Because she definitely wasn't. I would know. I would have seen the signs. I wouldn't have let that happen to her."

"This is in no way your fault Chief Swan. We are only trying to eliminate certain theories."

Chief Swan sat back in his chair; his eyes glazed over. He could imagine Bella standing at the cooker. She always loved cooking. It was one of the few things that would relax her.

"Could you describe Isabella's usual routine for us?"

"Every morning I'd leave before her, she'd go straight to school."

"How would she get to school?"

"The Cullens usually pick her up."

"Cullens? They were no Cullens at school yesterday?"

"No. Um, Bella said something about them going to Seattle for the weekend. Their father is a Doctor. He had a conference or something this afternoon. The family sometimes go up Friday morning and spend the weekend there."

"And how many are in the family?"

"There's Dr Cullen and his wife. They have five adopted kids in Bella's class."

"Could you give us their address?"

"Yeah. Sure."

He scribbled it down along with Dr Cullen's phone number.

"Thank you Chief. Now, have you noticed anything odd or different in Isabella's behaviour? Going places she doesn't normally? Hiding things from you? Anything at all."

"She doesn't hide things from me. She'd always tell me when she was going out, when she'd be home and who she would be with. She'd only do it for my sake."

"Were you aware that Isabella knew how to handle a gun?"

"No. I taught her some self-defence but nothing with weapons. How could she shoot like that? I've never seen her touch a gun."

"We are trying to work that out ourselves Chief Swan. We've got a team that need to search Isabella's room and the rest of the house later this morning. Is there somewhere you could go and stay for a couple of days? Somewhere you won't be alone?"

"I'll go stay down at the reservation. My friend, Billy Black, he has already said I could stay with him."

"We'll leave you to get somethings together."

"Will you tell me if you get any information?"

"Of course. I need to ask if Bella has any distinguishable features. Anything that will make it easier to identify her on CCTV?"

"She has a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. A black heart. She had it when she first came home when she was 13."

"Are there any pictures with it? All that we've seen, her wrist was hidden or covered."

"I can look."

"I know this must be difficult for you Chief Swan, but we need you to think. If you remember anything, even small, let us know."

The Chief didn't respond but nodded his head.

"We'll be back this afternoon to search Isabella's room."

"I can give you a spare key. Just let yourself in."

With a key in hand, the Agents let themselves out. There was nothing new. No further information that they could use. Hopefully the Cullens would be able to shed some light on the situation.

Back at the station the timeline of Bella's life was being filled in. But there was still that big gap between her fourth and thirteenth birthday and then between her mother's death and coming to live with her Dad. Agent Torrode pushed through the door and pointed at the line.

"Something must have happened in the last year. Isabella knew that something like this would happen. She was prepared for it. Track her movements, every last one. I have to make a call."

He went into Chief Swan's office, having taken over from him for the time being. Dialling the phone number the Chief had given him, he listened to the dial tone.

"Hello, Dr Cullen speaking."

"Yes. Hello, this is Agent William Torrode from the FBI. I was wandering if I could talk to you about Isabella Swan."

"Oh… Certainly. What's this about?"

"Are you sitting down Dr Cullen?"

"Yes. Why?"

"There was an incident at Forks High School yesterday. Isabella Swan was kidnapped."

"What? Is she okay?"

"From what we know off, she is fine. But she is still missing. I have just a couple questions for you."

"Okay. I'll do what I can to help."

"How well do you know Isabella?"

"I consider her a daughter. She spends most afternoons at my house."

"If I were to ask you if you have any knowledge on whether Isabella knows how to handle a weapon, what would you say?"

"Like a gun? She's a sweet girl. I couldn't definitively tell you whether she knows how a gun works or not, but it's in my opinion that she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. Why would you ask?"

"I'm just trying to get a better picture of Isabella's character. Who out of your children would you say is closest to Isabella?"

"That would be my youngest son Edward. They are best friends."

"Would Isabella confide in Edward about anything? Would he keep it a secret if she asked him too?"

"I believe so. There's a lot he wouldn't speak of if it was for Bella. We're all surprised he hasn't asked her out yet."

"Did they ever have a sexual relationship?"

"No. They aren't like that. They are very respectful of each other."

"When you get back into town, could I come down to your house and talk to your family?"

"Of course. Anytime. I would bring the family back to Forks right now, but I can't get out of this convention. We'll be home tonight though. Come around anytime tomorrow. Do you have my address?"

"Yes. Chief Swan gave it to me."

"How is he doing?"

"Not very well. But that is expected. He's staying with a friend from the La Push Reservation."

"That would be Billy Black. They are good friends."

"Dad? Which tie should I wear?"

Dr Cullen looked around to the doorway of his hotel bedroom to see Emmett, the second eldest of his children, holding up two ties.

"I'll speak to you tomorrow Agent Torrode. I hope you find her."

"Of course. Thank you, Dr Cullen. Have a good afternoon."

Hanging up the phone, he closed his eyes for a minute.

"You alright Dad? Who was that you were talking to?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Um, wear that tie. You wore the other to your grandmother's funeral."

"Thanks."

"Rose and I are planning on staying here and going out tomorrow night. You're not expecting us at home, are you?"

"There's been a change of plans. We need to go back to Forks tonight."

"Why? I thought we were staying the weekend."

"We were. Something has happened in Forks and we need to get back."

"What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Can you gather the others in the other room? I need to tell you all something."

"Sure. You're not sick or anything are you?"

"No. No it's not like that. Please just get the others Emmett."

When the Cullen family were sat around the small living room in their hotel apartment, Carlisle stood in front of them all. He had his fingers folded together, his eyes looking at the woven carpet.

"I got a call from an FBI Agent a few moments ago. There has been an incident in Forks concerning Bella. After school Bella was kidnapped. I do not know anything other than that. Tonight we are going to drive home so that we can go into the Police Station in the morning and answer some questions. None of you are in any trouble. The FBI will just want some information on our relationship with Bella. Answer all their questions and if you can think of anything that might help, you must tell them. For Bella's sake."

Carlisle didn't look up as he spoke. He didn't know how his family would take the news but was certain it wouldn't go down well. None of them could speak. Jasper was the first to move, he disappeared into the bedroom he was sharing with Alice. Slamming the door, it made the family jump.

Tears began trailing down Edward's cheeks. His best friend, the girl he secretly loved was gone. She'd been taken from him. He knew she had been kidnapped when she was young. He knew she refused to talk about. But she had told him she feared it would happen again. He should have done something, anything. He should have told someone. Gone to the authorities. Instead he did nothing. Why would her kidnappers try to take her again? They were lucky enough to get away with it in the first place. Why risk being caught?

The family were somber the rest of the day, Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Emmett and Alice all plastering smiles on their faces for the medical convention they were expected to attend. Jasper had not appeared from the hotel room he had locked himself into. No one knew why he was taking Bella's kidnapping so hard. Out of all of them, he was the least close to her. He had never been hostile to her, but he always kept some distance between the two.

Edward was distraught. He was looking scrolling through news articles on his laptop, looking for other recent kidnappings in the area. Maybe he, himself, could find something that will help bring Bella home. They have to find her so that he can profess his undying love to her.


	6. Fortress

**Fortress**

_Third Person_

_13th October_

Letting themselves into the Swan household, Agents Sampson and Tiff knocked on the open door. But there was no reply. Chief Swan had already left for the reservation. They carried their heavy cases up the stairs and glanced into the first door, just a bathroom. The next door was Bella's bedroom. It looked like any teens' bedroom. The bed unmade. A pile of clothes in the corner. Shoes lined up against the wall. Papers and books strewn across the floor from where she'd been doing an assignment. There was nothing unusual about the room.

Sampson set about photographing the room as Tiff lifted out evidence bags and began looking for fingerprint samples. The first place she looked was the door handle. There were a few sets that appeared different, but that was to be expected. With a crystallized spray over them, she scanned each individual print and sent them off to Sampson to use the database to start analysing them. Tiff then turned to the books on the floor. Bella's fingerprints would definitely be on those. From what she could see under the UV light, there were just one set. If Bella had been the only one to touch them, it would make sense.

"Tiff, have a look at this."

Sampson had begun the search of her room. He didn't know whether he was surprised by the gun taped under her desk.

"Serial number?"

"Melted off. It's professionally done too. I've only ever seen it done like this well once before. It was a case over in South Dakota. Back in 2015. One of the guys from my class asked for some help on a hunting accident of a young boy."

"Where'd the gun come into play?"

"There was a rifle gun with a melted serial number found near the boy's body. His parents weren't hunters and they'd never taken him out hunting, so it wasn't his gun. But there were no prints on it to connect it to the killer."

"Did they find the killer?"

"No. There was no evidence left behind other than a set of tyre tracks a mile from where his body was found."

"Get onto those case files. Maybe there's a link to Isabella. Or at least where these guns are coming from."

Photographing and bagging up the gun, Sampson moved onto rifling through Bella's desk. There was nothing important there though. After wiping over the laptop sat on her desk and sending the fingerprints off, Sampson opened it up. Just a password separated him from all of its data.

"Not surprised the girl has a password on her laptop. It still amazes me how many people don't bother."

"Hopefully it means she had something to hide."

"I could hack it, but that might take a while. These models are known to be well encrypted. Any guesses to what the password could be. I'm doubting it's 1234, or password."

Both looked up at the pictures tacked to the wall in front of them. Most were off Bella and Edward. Some had Alice in. A few had other friends like Jessica Stanley and Angela Webber.

"I'm guessing that is Edward Cullen. Try Edward."

_Incorrect Password._

Tiff looked through the small notebook left out on top of the desk beside them. The very last page held passwords for different accounts.

"Edward0620. Must be his birthday or something. And there's her email and phone too."

"Take a picture and send it over to Soccorso. He can get started on the phone we found."

Scrolling through the computer files, there was nothing of particular interest. Bella had only really used it for school, shopping and watching Netflix.

"Nothing here yet. I doubt she would have put anything important out in the open."

Tiff glanced around the room, thinking of hiding places. She moved over to the bed and knelt down. Laying onto her back, she slid under the bed.

"Sampson, I have another gun."

Holding her hand out for the camera, she used her flashlight to illuminate the gun. After photographing it, she pulled the duct tape off and lifted the gun out. She slipped out from under the bed and started analysing it.

"Same as the last. Melted serial number."

She bagged it up, leaving it out by the other.

"Do you want to take the wardrobe and I'll take the drawers?"

"Sure."

Sampson opened up the wardrobe standing in the far corner as Tiff started going through the drawers beside it. She'd suggested the idea to give Bella at least some privacy with her undergarments. Going through Bella's underwear drawer, she was a little surprised by all the black sports bras. She had just two normal bras, the rest were sports bras. In the same drawer was two handfuls of black boy shorts. There was nothing particularly feminine in there, unusual for a girl of her age. Lifting the items out, she placed them into an evidence bag, hoping Morossa might be able to shed some light on the psychological nature behind them. Looking back at the drawer itself, she examined the base of it, noticing the inner lining was much higher than the bottom panel.

"This has a false bottom to it."

Prying it open, she almost dropped the drawer. The bottom was lined with stacks of cash. Each had come directly from a bank, the bundles still wrapped in their labelled straps. Quickly counting through it all, there was 500,000 dollars sitting in 10 stacks of 100 dollar bills.

"We've got her money stash. 500,000 in total."

"There's a loose bottom to the wardrobe. Can you help me lift it up?"

Placing the drawer down, Tiff knelt beside Sampson. They both leaned forwards and lifted the bottom of the wardrobe together. Underneath was just the wooden panels of the floor, but they were all loose. Lifting them together, they revealed a deep cavity in the flooring. A black case, about a meter long by 45cm wide, was tucked into the flooring.

"She was definitely prepared to run."

"I've never seen anyone do anything like this. I've worked on serial kidnapper cases, been in the kidnappers' houses and seen their troves of treasures. And they weren't anywhere near as good at hiding things as Isabella. Her friends would have been in and out of here all the time, and never would have seen anything."

"She's going to make our jobs very difficult."

"Let's get this up and have a look."

They both took an end and pulled the heavy trunk out of the floor, placing it down beside them. There was a keypad on the front, a code to unlock the box.

"She really is making this difficult."

"Bag the cash, I'll try and get this open."

Tiff turned back to the drawer of cash and picked up an evidence bag. As her hand placed the first stack of cash in the bag, she heard a click before a light hiss and Sampson dropped to the floor, unconscious. Holding her breath, she rushed over to him, her fingers going to his neck. His pulse was still strong, he was only unconscious. Throwing the window open, she left the room, her phone by her ear.

"How's it going Tiff?"

"You need to send the team down here and get an ambulance here too. We found a trunk under the floor; it appears to be fortified with a keypad lock and anaesthetic gas. Sampson is unconscious right now."

"What?"

"Boss, you need to get down here. I've never seen anything like this before."

"We're on our way. How far has the gas dispersed?"

"I'm not sure, I'm outside her room now, but I opened the window before I left. I'd guess it's only enough gas to knock the person closest out."

"Don't go back into the room until we get there. Who knows what gas she's used?"

Eight minutes later, two cars pulled up outside the property. An ambulance coming up behind.

"What's the situation Tiff?"

"Sampson is still unconscious. The gas hasn't spread. We have a black trunk, hidden cash, two guns and a laptop so far. Her room is ordinary enough at first glance. We've lifted a handful of fingerprint samples."

"I've analysed a few, and so far, we have one match, Chief Swan. He'd be in the system when he signed up for the force. But I would doubt anyone else would be identified. This is only a small town; most won't have been fingerprinted."

"We got a call?"

The paramedic had come over, his partner grabbing a bag from the back of the ambulance.

"Yes, we've had a gas attack. Our colleague is unconscious upstairs. We haven't confirmed if the gas is still present."

"Give us five minutes to secure the room, we can bring our colleague out and down to the ambulance."

"Breathing pattern?"

"Even. No changes or constrictions."

"Broken bones."

"Nothing. He's just unconscious due to the inhalation of an unknown substance."

"Okay. We'll lift out the gurney and can take a quick blood sample to test oxygen levels. If they're lower than usual, we'll take him up to the hospital immediately."

The paramedic turned back to his partner, filling her in on the situation. Agent Torrode and Tiff went over to their team.

"Carter, Soccorso, you two enter the room and retrieve Sampson. Tiff, are you okay to test the air?"

"Yes. I have a testing kit in my car. I can send it in with a drone to get near the trunk without us having to enter for a long period of time. It will take a few minutes to get the results back."

As Carter and Soccorso entered Bella's room, masks over their noses and mouths, to retrieve Sampson, Tiff and Morossa setup a drone in the back of her car.

"I wanted to ask about something I found in Isabella's drawers."

"Sure."

"Her underwear, it's all black boy shorts and black sports bras. There's nothing feminine. What would that suggest to you?"

"Well, it could suggest that she was more interested in staying fit. They're the sort of things she would have worn to exercise. It all being the same says that she didn't care what people thought, and that no one would have seen them. So, she wasn't interested in guys. Any teen her age, with an interest in guys, would have a few more sexy pieces of underwear, even just for house parties. You didn't find anything else?"

"She had two standard bras, but nothing sexy."

"I'll have a look at them, maybe find out where she bought them. But it's unusual. She would have had them for a purpose. We know she was somewhat physically fit, even though she hid it from her classmates. There would have had to be a time she got some exercise or trained."

"I've bagged the items, so I can hand them over to you to get started on."

"Okay. I also want any pictures from her wall or frames. Those who feature most could provide the most useful information."

"One figure is more prominent. Edward Cullen. He was mentioned quite a lot by Isabella's classmates when they were interviewed. And Edward0620 was her password. We assumed that was his birthday. He's an obvious connection as of now. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a boyfriend."

"Bella had no boyfriend. But maybe he wanted to be. He's coming down to the station tomorrow, with his father. Torrode will figure him out."

"Tiff, we're ready for you."

Carter and Soccorso dragged a semi-conscious Sampson out of the house, laying him onto the gurney immediately. The two paramedics began checking him over. Listening to his steady pulse, and clear lungs.

"He'll be fine. Groggy for an hour, but okay. His oxygen count is normal, his pulse is slightly slow, but nothing irregular. His breathing is lighter. I'd say he's under some form of general anaesthesia. They'd use Halothane at the hospital, so that is the likely cause. If a small dose was inhaled, we expect him to be fully functional in an hour."

"Okay, thank you. If we can get him in the back of one of our cars, we can take him back to the station for now. We don't want to use up anymore of your precious time."

They set about shifting Sampson into the back of the range rover, propping him up against the car door. Tiff was already up the stairs the drone sitting out on the floor. Whirring up the propellers, Carter pushed the door open and let the drone fly inside the room. With the door closed again, Tiff used the camera screen to direct it over to the trunk. Landing it on top, she deployed the sample collector, sucking in a sample of air. She returned to her computer the sample being analysed. After a few minutes, the results displayed on her screen.

"We're all clear. No impurities in the air."

"Okay, Tiff, you and Carter finish off upstairs. Give Soccorso the laptop to start working on. No one attempts to open that trunk without a gas mask on."

Torrode climbed back into his car, driving Sampson back down to the station. He had quite a few phone calls to make. His superiors needed to be informed of the developments of the afternoon.

The four remaining Agents ascended the stairs in the house, entering Bella's bedroom. Soccorso lifted the evidence bag with the laptop in it, glancing over to the trunk.

"That's a military grade lock. Almost impossible to hack open. I could try connecting up a computer and running a new algorithm I've been working on. It could take a while to find the right combination."

"I don't know if you're going to need to."

They all turned to Morossa, curious as she stood staring up at the photos tacked to the wall.

"I'm guessing Sampson tried Edward Cullen's birthdate. That obviously isn't it. And Bella is smart enough not to use something so common. But she also has a heart. So, it's not going to be any one date. And these pictures, each of them have a date printed in the bottom left corner, all but this one."

She pulled down a picture of Bella sitting at the end of a dock, staring out into the water.

"There is no date. Pictures don't just have the date on them, she printed them that way. So, dates are important to her. We aren't looking for a date, we're looking for a word. The keypad, it doesn't have letters on it, but others do. We know that 1 is a, b and c. 2 is d, e and f. And so on. Somewhere in this picture is the combination."

Staring dumbfoundedly, each of the Agents couldn't wrap their heads around what she was getting at.

"How the hell did you get all of that?"

Morossa rolled her eyes.

"Isabella is clearly not the average person. She's turned her room into a fortress. She doesn't think the same way a normal person would. You look at the keypad and assume she'd used a number. You wouldn't think about letters. You could sit there for hours trying a new combination. I'd guess there's more gas in there too. Probably enough for a good few attempts too. Anyone that would want access to the trunk would search her room. They'd be looking for anything with numbers on. Out of all the pictures, this is the one they'd look passed. So, this is the one with the answer."

"Okay. And if you're right, because, well, no one else has any other ideas, what is the answer? We don't even know how long the code is."

"It's not more than five. These models only go up to five numbers."

"Anything less than four wouldn't be secure enough. And four is the most obvious choice. So, I'd say it's five."

She stared down at the picture, trying to put herself into Bella's mind. But that was hard to do. They barely knew the girl.

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

Sitting down on the desk chair, she leaned back, her eyes gazing down at the picture in hand. A few seconds passed and the others started moving again. Soccorso carried the laptop downstairs and went for his own in his car. He sat himself in the Swan's kitchen, hooking them up together and beginning a download of all data from the hard drive, recovering everything he could. Carter finished bagging the money whilst Tiff searched through the rest of the drawers.

With no new findings, they began checking the floorboards. Tapping them, they lifted those that sounded less hollow than the rest. Morossa was in her own world, still staring at the picture when she suddenly stood up and walked out of the room. Running down the stairs, she sat beside Soccorso in the kitchen.

"You used geographical software on the Kingston case, didn't you?"

"Yes. What are you thinking?"

"Does this place look like Washington to you?"

He took the picture from her and analysed the landscape.

"No, but it could be Arizona. She would have spent enough time with her Mom."

"I know. But there seems to be something off with this."

"You want me to scan it in and run it through the software."

"Yes please."

Lifting out the handheld digital scanner, he connected it up to his whirring laptop. When the photograph appeared on his laptop, he ran it through the geographic identifier software that was still in the process of being perfected. But it had proved useful on previous assignments.

"I'll give you a call when it's done. It will take a while."

"Thank you."

She stood up and set about making everyone coffee. Leaving Soccorso a cup, she carried three upstairs.

"Find anything else yet?"

"No. I doubt we will. This trunk is going to hold all the answers."

"Have you got anywhere with the photo?"

"I'm thinking the code is geographical. Soccorso is analysing it now for any markers to place its location. There are no other photos of Bella in Arizona. We've got a few of her Mom, but none of her. I don't think that one was taken in Arizona."

"I can't believe you can figure all that out, just by glancing around her room."

"I've always had an insight into peoples' behaviours. That's why I got into psychology."

"What else do you get from this room?"

"Well, Isabella's clean. The mess of books and the unmade bed are purposeful. If you took those away, the room would be immaculate. There are a few trinkets on the desk, but nothing overly so. The way she's tacked the photos on the wall is methodical. She's thought about where each individual photo goes. They aren't chronologically ordered, and there's no clear grouping. They seem scattered. Anyone would scatter them. But subconsciously, people place their favourites in a particular spot. Sometimes that would be in the middle of the wall. Isabella would have been sitting at her desk, looking at these though. So, her favourites are lower down. Edward Cullen, she cares for him a lot. Maybe a boyfriend…"

"They aren't dating."

"So not a boyfriend. But she thinks of him in that way. He features in most of the photos. These would be close friends, but not as close as he is. Looking at the top level of photos, says that she is insecure about herself. The first one of her is almost two thirds of the way up. She doesn't like looking at herself. She's clearly beautiful, whether that is the reason she doesn't like looking at herself, or she doesn't see it, there's an insecurity there. If we're thinking that she was sexually abused when kidnapped, she would have mentally begun to loath herself. So, pictures of herself would remind her of that time. There's also a darkness to each composition. There is barely any light, many of these being taken at night."

"You're good."

Morossa sat onto the floor, where Bella would have been studying from her books.

"Isabella is unusual. She appears to be entirely normal. She goes to school; she studies just as we would have done. She has good friends. She goes to the movies; she goes on girls' nights out. And yet she has led a secret life since returning from wherever she was kept. Her grades are decent. She's been getting almost straight As in every class. But we know from her teachers that she should have at least a 4.5 GPA. She's in a few AP classes. And all of her classwork suggests top of the class. When she comes to take tests, they believe she purposefully answers some wrong. This work here is College level Chemistry. But she's averaging a 4.0 GPA. Which is fine if you aren't in AP classes. Bella's taking five AP classes though. Her GPA should be higher. For a girl who is only just eighteen, she has an intelligence not gained by education."

"Morossa!"

Running down the stairs, she leaned over Soccorso's shoulder.

"We're in luck. The topographical environment in the photograph is unique to Colorado. More specifically, Carcass Canyon. American satellites are in the process of documenting every inch of the country. Just last month, they finished on Colorado. This photograph was taken at North Creek Reservoir in Carcass Canyon; somewhere between Black Hills and Bryce Canyon National Park."

"Do you have a map?"

"Yes."

Throwing up the pinpointed location, Soccorso clicked on the satellite picture he found too.

"That was the closest satellite image to the photograph. It's not the same angle, but you can see the mountain tops and edge of the lake are the same."

"You said Bryce Canyon and Black Hills."

"In Colorado."

"Okay. Thanks. Send it over to Torrode, he needs to know that Isabella has been to Colorado at some point."

Morossa went out to her car, opening up the back. Lifting out two precautionary gas masks, she returned to Bella's bedroom.

"Who wants to help me crack this code? I have three guesses."

Tiff and Carter looked up at her, a little excited.

"I will."

"I'll help."

They both spoke almost exactly at the same time, but Morossa tossed the mask to Tiff.

"You might want to head downstairs Carter."

"Why do you guys always get to do the fun bits?"

"Because I'm the one that's figured it out, and Tiff said first."

"Shout when you've got it open."

Both sitting in front of the large, black trunk, Tiff and Morossa looked at each other.

"Ready?"

"Let's see what she's hiding."

They pulled the masks on, covering their noses and mouths. Morossa keyed in 2-7-9-2-3. A small hole opened beside the keypad. Placing her hand in front of it, she felt the gas being ejected out of it.

"Gas. Seems like more than before. It was just a second with Sampson."

"She was prepared for several attempts at unlocking it. I wouldn't be surprised if the gas becomes stronger each time; to the point of causing serious harm."

Morossa turned back to the keypad, putting in 2-5-2-2-5. There was an audible click. Throwing themselves both backwards, the two women covered their heads with their arms, expecting an explosion of some kind. But nothing happened. They looked back round at the trunk; a little green light illuminated.

"You got it."

Pulling off the masks, they climbed to their feet.

"Ready to open it?"

"Why not?"

Taking an end each, they looked at each other, counting down from three, before throwing back the lid. Apprehensive that something else was going to happen, Morossa held her hand up. They both stared at the laptop sitting on a shelf at the top of the trunk.

"I was expecting something a little more… dangerous."

"I'll get Soccorso and Carter. We'd best setup a video call with Torrode too."

"I'll start on that. He'll want to see this."

Three minutes later, Morossa was holding a camera, Soccorso's laptop sitting with Torrode watching on the screen.

"The code was 2-5-2-2-5, or the word BLACK. Isabella has visited a reservoir in Colorado between Black Hills and Bryce Canyon. You need to coordinate a team to get out there and investigate the area. She didn't go with her Mom or Dad, so it must have been during a dark period. If we can find out where she was staying, what she was doing there and if she was with anyone, we might be able to better understand who she is. Maybe it will tell us something about what happened to her too."

"I'll get onto the Colorado field office once we're done. You can begin emptying the trunk."

Morossa snapped a picture of the open trunk. Each Agent had a pair of sterile gloves on, ready to handle the evidence. Soccorso lifted up the laptop, looking it over.

"One high-end laptop. Appears to be modified with an increased storage capacity. I will begin a data dump once returned to the station."

He placed it into an evidence bag, sealing it shut and filling out the details. Carter and Tiff moved forward to pick up the shelf from the trunk. The sight of the shelf below made them pause. After Morossa took a couple pictures, Carter lifted the first handgun. Tiff held another, analysing it with confusion.

"It's a Glock 17, 9mm. Two more in the trunk."

"I've got an M1911 pistol. They use this in the Special Forces. I've never seen one in civilian hands before."

"Any serial numbers that we can trace back to where they came from?"

"No. They're all melted down. The quality of this work hasn't been seen before. It's a smooth finish with no markings from being filed."

"Are there any signs of it being tampered with?"

"None at all. But we know that these models aren't made without serial numbers. And they aren't made on the black market due to their complex interior design."

"I'll reach out, see if any shipments went missing since manufacturing began three years ago. If Isabella has more than one, she may have got her hands on a full batch. What are those on the shelf?"

"Combat knives. KABAR Utility Knives."

Tiff held up the knife, pulling it out of its holster.

"Looks like a 1225. The Navy would use these. They're small, compact little things, easy to conceal on the body. She could have been carrying one of these round every day and no one would have known."

"Are they the same as the ones we found in Isabella's locker?"

"No. I haven't been able to identify the make and model yet. They appear to be custom made. My computer's searching to see if it could have come from another country's military. So far nothing though."

"Bag it all up. We'll test the guns for any residue. Hopefully she's fired one of them. She would have needed to get in some shooting practice every now and then."

They placed each piece in individual bags before lifting the next shelf out.

"Shit."

Staring down at the disassembled gun, they were all shocked. Even after all they'd found, they didn't expect this. Soccorso was the first to move forward. He started piecing it all together, experience from his limited Army training coming into play. With it pieced together, he held it up, staring through the view finder.

"It's an M24 SWS. The scope is new, made only last year, so there's only a limited few of these made. How did she get her hands on one of these?"

"Has it been used?"

"It's mostly clean, but there are markings on the inside of the barrel. Either Isabella acquired it in this condition, or she has used it herself."

"Okay. Bring it all in and get it sent off to the lab. I'm going to get a helicopter and a team out to search the forest. She must have had a cabin somewhere that she'd go and practise shooting. Let me know when you are all heading back."

Two and a half hours later, the Agents were all gathered round Chief Swan's office at the station, all the evidence they'd found displayed in front of them. Everything they thought they knew about Isabella Swan had changed.


	7. Who is Bella Swan?

**Who is Bella Swan?**

_Third Person_

_14th October 2017_

"Doctor Cullen, thank you for coming down so early. I'm sorry we interrupted your weekend."

"That's okay. My family would do anything to bring Bella back. Have you heard anything thing from her?"

"No. We are hoping that her kidnappers will be in touch soon, but from we've learnt, I'm not sure they will. I am not seeing this as a ransom situation."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm afraid I can't say at the moment. I just need you to answer some questions for me and then I'll speak with your family."

"Certainly."

Agent Torrode was sat with a notepad and voice recorder beside him. Carlisle Cullen was sitting forwards, his arms folded on the desk between them.

"When did you first meet Isabella Swan?"

"It was 5 years ago. My youngest daughter, Alice, asked if she could have a friend over. When my wife picked the children up the next day, she brought Bella back to ours."

"So, you would say you know her well?"

"Very. I see her as another daughter."

"Were you aware of what happened when she was young?"

"Yes. Everyone in town knows. When we first moved to Forks, Bella was still missing. No one talked about it, but there were newspaper and online articles about what happened."

"You had not adopted your eldest Son at this time, had you?"

"No. Jasper was adopted two years after we moved to Forks."

"But you adopted him four months after Bella returned home?"

"That's about right. Why? What does my Son have to do with any of this?"

"Nothing as of yet. We are looking into other angles at the moment. There were similar cases to Isabella's, where young children were kidnapped before reappearing on their doorsteps around the same time."

"Jasper's been in and out of foster homes since he was a baby before he was homeless for about a year. He was never a kidnapping victim."

Agent Torrode made a note of this. From what they'd learned so far, he'd become suspicious of Jasper Whitlock's involvement in what appears to be an organisation carrying out these attacks. Anyone with undocumented childhoods could be potential victims.

"Did Bella ever mention anything about what happened to her? Any names? Places she may have been?"

"No. There was nothing. She was very closed off at first. My wife and I would try to get her to talk about it, but she would make up an excuse to leave."

"Did you ever speak to her father about this?"

"Yes. As a doctor, and a father, I was concerned about her mental health. I also spoke with her psychiatrist. Of course, she did not give any details as to Bella's sessions with her, to me."

"Bella's psychiatrist, she advised Chief Swan to open a custody plea for sole custody of Bella."

"That's right. Charlie asked for my opinion on the matter."

"What did you think he should do?"

"Bella needed a stable home life. Living every few months with her Mom in Arizona and then at home with her Father, it's not good for any young girl's growth and development. Especially not Bella. I didn't want him to listen to me as Dr Cullen but as a friend. I told him that it was in Bella's best interest that she has only one home all year round."

"So when Bella was 14, she moved in with her Mother full time."

"Yes. She would return for two weeks in the summer, the weekend before thanksgiving and for new year."

"And much of that time she was with your family?"

"We'd invite Chief Swan and Bella both over for dinners and lunches whenever our children wanted to see Bella. Some of the time he would come over with Bella, others he would drop her off and go home or down to the Reservation."

"Did Bella seem happier when she was living with her Mother and only visiting her Father?"

"In some ways, yes. She seemed more at ease, more comfortable, with other people. But at the same time, I don't think she ever wanted to leave."

"Leave where? Her Mother? Her Father?"

"No. She never wanted to leave my house. I wouldn't see her smiling very often, only when she started living with her Mother full time, did she seem completely at ease. I think it was when she was about 15, that she started smiling."

"Did Bella ever mention that she was unhappy in Arizona, or living with her Mother?"

"Not to me. You would have to ask Alice or Edward that question."

"Did Bella ever mention or show signs of physically abusing herself?"

"Again, she never spoke about such things with me. She was always very concerned for personal space, not many people were allowed to touch her. And she didn't particularly like violent video games that my sons would play, but neither did my daughters. There were never any visible scars that I noticed though."

"How violent were these video games?"

"They have always been age appropriate. They started very mild and as my children grew older, my wife and I would let them buy their own games."

"Who does Bella seem most comfortable around? Her Father? Someone at school?"

"I don't know about school, but Bella and Edward are best friends. I often find them together at home."

"Have they ever had any romantic relationship?"

"No. Neither of them ever expressed romantic feelings towards the other, they are only friends."

"I can guess your response to my next question, but I still have to ask… Did Bella and Edward ever engage in a sexual relationship of any kind?"

"Certainly not. Bella didn't like people touching her very much. It was only in the last year that she became comfortable with physical contact."

"Is it possible for them to have had a sexual relationship with each other?"

"It is possible. But highly unlikely."

Opening a file, Agent Torrode slipped a photograph in front of Carlisle. He looked it over. It was of Ashley Meleedy, the girl that had drowned in California.

"Do you recognise this girl?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard the name Ashley Meleedy?"

"No. I don't think so."

"What about the name Christopher? Did Bella ever mention a Christopher?"

"There is a Christopher at Forks High, but that's the only Christopher I know of."

"Chief Swan mentioned something about Bella having a tattoo of a heart on the inside of her wrist. Do you know anything about that?"

"I've seen it. She's had it the entire time I have known her. I asked her about it but the only thing she would say is that it's a black heart."

"We haven't found a picture of it yet, would you be able to draw it for us? We may be able to track down who did it."

"You'll probably struggle with that. It's only a generic heart."

Drawing out the simple heart shape, Carlisle filled it in with the black ink.

"Have you ever seen anyone else with a similar tattoo?"

"No."

"Have you ever seen anyone suspicious in town? Anyone out of the ordinary?"

"There's the occasional passer through. But no one out of the ordinary."

"Has Bella ever gone out of town unexpectedly?"

"Yes, two years after her return, she walked out on the Chief. She didn't say where she was going, just that she had to get out of town for a few days. The Chief got the force to try and track her down but couldn't find anything. She just disappeared."

"When she returned, did she mention anything? Where she'd been? What she'd been doing? Who she was with?"

"No. She didn't speak about any of it. The Chief tried to send her to therapy, but she freaked out and threatened to leave and never come back. He had to give in. He couldn't lose Bella for good."

"Did you ever try to get Bella into therapy?"

"I mentioned it once, but she shut down on me completely. Based on my professional knowledge, I decided she was stable enough to continue without therapy. She appeared a normal girl."

"Okay. I have a final question for now, but I'll need to speak to you again at some point."

"Of course."

"Do you know of anyone with any real intentions of harming Bella?"

"Not that I can think of. If I think of anything, I will let you know."

"Thank you, Dr Cullen. Your cooperation is much appreciated. We need as much help as we can get from everyone that knows Bella."

"If you have any other questions for me or my family, don't worry about disturbing us at any time. We all want to find Bella quickly."

"I'd like to speak to Edward next. I think it would be best if he was alone, but as you've all come in voluntarily, you can sit with him if you'd prefer."

"I'll ask him."

Carlisle shook Agent Torrode's hand before leaving the interview room. His family were sat in the front office of the small station, they all looked up when they saw their father entering the room.

"Edward, son."

He stood up and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay to go in alone? Or do you want me to sit beside you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Answer all of his questions Edward, no matter what he asks."

"I know."

Edward walked down to the interview room and shook the hand of Agent Torrode at the door. He was nervous, he'd never been questioned by the police before. But he was also heart broken. He'd been in love with Bella since he'd first met her, but never had the guts to tell her. Now, he may never get the chance.

"Take a seat Edward."

Torrode closed the door and sat back down in his seat. Turning to a fresh page in his notebook, he looked up to Edward.

"You don't have to be nervous Edward; I'm not questioning you as a suspect in any way. I just need to ask a few questions related to Bella so that I can understand this case more."

"Are you going to find Bella?"

"We are going to do our best to find her. To do that, I need you to answer every question I ask honestly. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, I need to know the relationship you had with Bella. What extent did your friendship reach?"

"We are best friends. We do everything together."

"Have you ever been sexual with Bella?"

"No. Bella wasn't very open about touching. She liked her personal space."

"Have you ever thought of Bella in a sexual way?"

He paused for a minute. Yes, he had, but was he prepared to admit it?

"We need to know everything Edward. I won't tell your family what you say."

"Yes. I love her but I didn't know how to tell her. I never would have tried anything with her though."

Constantly making notes for further use, Torrode knew it would be difficult to get Edward to expand on his answers without more questions. He was scared.

"Did Bella ever talk to you about the first time she was kidnapped?"

"No. But she talked in her sleep occasionally. When she slept over at my house, I'd hear her talking."

"What sort of things did she say? Places? Names?"

"She mentioned an Anabel quite a lot. And a Trey. Last year, I think she mentioned an Ashley a couple times."

"Ashley? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think so. Why?"

"An Ashley Meleedy died last year. She had a similar kidnapping case to Bella's."

"Died? Was she killed?"

"It was proven an accident."

"Do you think it an accident?"

"I only know what it says on the report made, I wasn't on the case. Did Bella ever mention a Christopher?"

"No. There's a Christopher at school though."

"Yes. That's not who I'm talking about though. I'm going to show you pictures of a few people, I want you to name them for me."

"Sure."

He lay out a line of 8 pictures, one being Ashely and the other Christopher, the rest were random people so that Edward wasn't led into naming them based on the previous questions.

"Can you name this girl?"

Going along the line, Torrode pointed at each picture. Edward responded with a "no" each time.

"I've never seen any of these people."

"I'm going to give you a few more minutes to look at these pictures and I want you tell me if anything comes to mind."

Edward lifted each picture in turn, analysing the faces looking back at him. He held out a picture to Torrode.

"I recognise him from somewhere, I don't know where though."

"Maybe you've seen him around town? Or online?"

"He's definitely not been in town before. I haven't seen him at least."

"If you remember, make sure you tell me."

"Sure. What's his name?"

"That's Christopher Torpey. He was also a similar case of kidnapping."

Leaving the picture out on the table, Torrode proceeded the questioning.

"Bella had a tattoo on the inside of her wrist."

"A black heart."

"Yes. Do you know why?"

"She said it was to stay connected to people. She never said anything else about it. But the tattoo on her back, she wouldn't talk about it all, even when she added to it."

"She has a tattoo on her back? What does it look like?"

"There are two lines of ten black hearts along the base of her back. When I first saw it, four of the hearts were speared by an arrow. Last I saw it, she had seven crossed out."

"20 hearts?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what the crosses mean?"

"She never said, but I assumed they were connected to deaths of people she knew."

"Do you remember each time she had her tattoo changed?"

"I could probably figure it out. Might take me a while."

"Could you do that when we've finished here?"

"Sure."

"These little things are really helpful, Edward. We can use any information you can provide about Bella."

Edward nodded and sat further forward in his seat.

"I need you to help me understand Bella's personality more. Everything I've heard doesn't fit together. One minute she's the sweetest girl, the next, she's killing fully grown men."

"I've made the mistake of underestimating Bella too many times. I can't say that she would never do those things, because Bella could do anything. None of us know what happened to her. She could have been beaten and tortured for all we know. If those men, that were at the school, had anything to do with her kidnapping the first time, I would have killed them myself if I was there."

"Calm down Edward. If there is a chance of these men returning, I can't have you doing anything stupid. I have some more questions for you to answer."

Taking a breath to calm down, he ducked his head and flicked his eyes to photograph of Christopher again.

"He has a tattoo on his wrist too. Christopher. Bella was looking at an online news article with his picture. It was around the time she got one of the hearts crossed out."

"That is very useful information, Edward. Do you remember anything else about him?"

"No. I only got a glimpse of the computer screen before she realised that I was there and turned it off. I didn't pay much attention to it."

"We can find the article. Were there any other news articles that Bella looked at?"

"Not that I know off."

"Okay, we're looking through her computer history now, so should find something."

Torrode flipped back through his notebook and cleared his throat.

"We're going to need your fingerprints to eliminate you from her room and locker. There weren't many different sets about her room, but we're looking for any unknowns."

"Course."

"I also have to ask about your knowledge of Bella's bedroom. Whilst searching, we came across several unexpected items."

"Like what? I never saw anything."

"There was a gun, taped underneath her bed. Did she ever mention it?"

"A gun? Under the bed?"

"You never saw it? Never even suspected it was there?"

"No. I had no idea. She had a gun under her bed?"

"I'm afraid that's not all. She had a hidden compartment at the bottom of her wardrobe. Inside we found a case of weapons. There were four boxes of bullets, a handgun, two knives, a dagger and a military grade sniper rifle. All are used by different government agencies. At the top of the case was a laptop. Did you ever see this?"

He held up a picture of the recovered laptop.

"She had all of that? Where'd she get it from? How did I not know? How did I not see it?"

"Focus Edward. What you've told us is already the most useful information we've got. We just need a little more."

Edward took a deep breath, staring at the table.

"I know this is difficult. I understand that all of this is a shock. You and I both want answers. And I can only find them if you stay calm and tell me all that you know."

Looking up at Torrode, Edward had tears in his eyes. He sniffed and wiped his face.

"I've never seen that laptop before. What's on it?"

"It's encrypted, so we haven't been able to gain access yet. But my team is working on it as we speak. So far, we've found nothing on the laptop left out on her desk. Just high school projects. I do need to ask about Bella's locker. You had her combination?"

"Yes."

"Why? Bella seemed very private, why would she give you her combination?"

"We have fourth period together. I'd pass her locker after third, so she let me grab her physics book."

"So you would have been in her locker nearly every day?"

"Most of the time. Bella was apprehensive at first, but after a couple weeks, she didn't really care. She was more willing to ask me to grab stuff for her if I was going that way. Our lockers were on the same block. It made sense for one of us to go to both."

"You never looked in the bottom of her locker?"

Edward was confused. He'd seen the books on the bottom shelf.

"Um… she only had books at the bottom."

"So you never saw the hidden compartment?"

"What?"

"A lot of school lockers and designed with a small gap of air at the top and bottom of stacked ones. To allow ventilation. Bella had cut through the metal base of her locker and placed a knife, gun and packet of bullets in the gap. The gun was missing, but we found it in the gym. You never suspected their being anything there?"

"No. If I had known, I would have asked her. I would have told someone. She was terrified."

"I'm not sure terrified is the right word. She was prepared. She expected it."

"Why wouldn't she have told anyone?"

"This is something more than a simple kidnapping, Edward. But we can't panic. I'm certain Bella is still alive. So we are going to work together to figure out where she is. I only have a few more questions."

Edward nodded. He wanted to shout, to scream, to punch the life out of something. But he knew that wouldn't help.

"Have you ever seen anyone suspicious around Forks? Anyone out of place?"

"Yes. Last February, I think. There was this guy standing in the edge of the forest outside school. It was weird. He just stood there. He was wearing a black hoodie and I couldn't see his face. I don't think Bella saw him, but…"

"What?"

"I think she knew he was there. I remember her stumbling slightly before becoming anxious. We were supposed to go into Port Angeles to watch a movie, but she said she wasn't feeling well and got me to drop her home. I was worried about her, so I waited down the road in my car. She never really got sick. I thought something would happen, but when I didn't see anything, I left. Bella called off sick the next day, so I didn't think any more about it."

"Do you remember what this guy was wearing?"

"Black jeans and a black hoodie. He blended into the darkness. I didn't get a good look of him."

"Okay. If you remember the exact date, we could look at CCTV from Port Angeles, Aberdeen and Olympia."

"We had a Biology test that day, so I might be able to find the paper at home."

"Good. Has there been anything else out of the ordinary? Anything since Bella came back the first time."

"No. Just that she disappeared for five months after her Mom died. But that seemed like the Bella thing to do under the circumstances."

"What do you mean when you say that? Did Bella often disappear?"

"Not often. Every time she had another tattoo crossed out, she would leave for three days and come back as if nothing had happened. It's not a normal thing to do, but Bella's not a normal girl. What she must have gone through, I guess she just needed her space every now and then."

"And she always went by herself?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea where she went?"

"No. Every time she came back, there was no sign as to where she had been. No receipts, nothing she bought, no suntan. She might not have even stayed inside the States."

Jotting down all the information Edward had given him, Torrode turned onto a new page in his notebook.

"What sort of activities would you and Bella do together?"

"We'd hang out at my house, watch movies, listen to music. Sometimes we'd walk around the forest. Bella doesn't like being inside for long."

"Did the two of you ever go to a shooting range, or practise shooting in the forest at any point?"

"No. I've never touched a gun before, and I didn't think Bella had either."

"Did you know she was trained in combat?"

"She's clumsy, no one ever would have guessed."

"So, this is completely out of her nature?"

"Yes. She's never done anything wrong. She tips serving staff at least $5 even if she's only spent 10."

"Alright, I think that is everything for now. We'll let you take a break. I'm sure this a lot for you, but I need you to stay focused.

If you remember anything else, even if you don't think the information useful, let one of my agents know."

"Isn't there anything else I can do? I can help with a search."

"There isn't going to be a search. She isn't going to be anywhere near Forks. And by now, she could be halfway across the country. We are doing everything we can to find her. All you need to do is remember the details."

"Okay."

Edward shook his hand before leaving. Torrode questioned the rest of the family in turn. Alice had turned into a sobbing mess, her Father having to sit in with her. When it came to Esme's turn, her motherly nature kept her calm, despite the tears running down her cheeks. She loved Bella just as she loved her children. Edward had provided the most useful pieces of information. Torrode hoped that his lead on the man outside the school would follow through.


	8. Training

**Training**

_Bella's POV_

_14th October 2017_

05:00 Breakfast

05:30 Training

08:30 Break

08:40 Combat Training

10:40 Classes

13:00 Lunch

13:30 Classes

18:00 Session with Victoria

19:00 Dinner

20:00 Lights Out

Not sleeping seemed the best choice. It's not like I would have been able to anyway. The cold metal under my back was uncomfortable. Plus, I needed to be alert. The guards like to have a bit of fun late at night sometimes. They never got close enough to me though. They were too scared.

Getting up for training was tough. It had been a long time since I'd done this. But I'd not gone without training. I had to stay fit. Ready for the rebellion. I may not get the chance now though. They'd have to go ahead without me.

A constant beeping started up. Must be five o'clock. Sitting against the wall on my metal ledge of a bed, I waited for the door to open. Sure enough, the heavy door swung open and a familiar face brought a tray of breakfast in for me.

"Still here Max?"

"You're back Isabella. I wouldn't be laughing."

He dropped the tray on the floor before backing out of the room. He knew not to turn his back on me. I did like to have a bit of fun with my powers from time to time. The door closed loudly, and I was locked in again.

When half five came around, I was stood ready for the door to open again, dressed in the black t-shirt, black shorts and combat boots I was given. As much as I hated what these clothes meant, I felt me again. This is who I am. The badass bitch that was ready to fight.

Being led to the training room, a large smile spread across my face when I saw who was in there.

"Look who we have here."

"Trey?"

"Issy, I am glad to see you again. Thanks Max. You can leave."

"I still don't know why you've been put in charge of her training."

"Talk to Sebastian about that."

Max stomped from the room. I didn't care in the slightest though. Trey was here. Everything just seemed so much better now. Throwing myself into his arms, he swung me around in a circle, something he used to do.

"Isabella Swan, I never thought I'd be seeing you again."

"What are you doing here, Trey?"

"Training you."

"You got promoted."

"Yes. Things got easier after time. They trust me now. I don't go on missions very often anymore, but I lead all the training."

"All the training?"

"Yes. I have three different classes. They expanded the centre soon after everyone escaped. None of them are part of Novum X. That shut down when we left."

"How old are they?"

"6-16. They are trained similarly to us. Just without the extras."

"I missed you Trey."

"I missed you so much Issy. It's been so boring without you here. But I'm glad you were home, safe."

"What's Sebastian up to?"

"I don't know. He doesn't tell anyone very much as to what's planned. The small pieces I do hear I send the information straight to Zander. He knows you're here."

"What does he suggest we do?"

"Go along with everything your told. We might be able to work you inside the system. You were always Sebastian's favourite."

"My Dad's okay?"

"Yes. No one's hurt him. And they won't go anywhere near Forks if you behave."

"Okay. I can do that for now."

"We need to start training. Or you'll be given another trainer."

"I'll just burn them."

"That's why I'm your trainer. Sebastian knew that there was no other choice. Plus, he's going to send us on missions together at some point. He needs to know that we can trust each other with our lives."

"I do trust you with my life."

"And I with you. But we need to build you up again and prove to Sebastian and Victoria, that they can trust you out in the world on a mission."

"What do I need to do?"

"Stick to the regiment. Hit your targets and talk to Victoria but make it difficult for her. Make her feel like she's made a breakthrough with you in a couple months."

"Sounds like the good old days."

"Less punishment now."

"Right. Because they are all just the cuddliest people in the world."

"You're older Issy and they need your cooperation. They've been struggling since we all left. And they've got something big planned. They need you."

"Let's get training then."

He hooked me straight up to the treadmill and got me running. I'd done a lot of running in the middle of the night in the Forks forest. But at the pace Trey set, I was struggling a little. This should have been easy for me. I could have done this run easily when I was nine.

We moved on to cardio next, again, something I should have breezed through. But it was tough. By the end of the session, I was out of breath, my head spinning from the lack of food I'd been given as breakfast.

"You okay Issy?"

"Just need a break."

"You have ten minutes then we're up in combat training."

"Can't I have a little longer?"

"What happened to the old Issy? You were always asking for longer training sessions."

"I'm an old lady now. Plus, I haven't trained in years."

"I'll get you back up to where you were by the end of the week. You just need to put in the effort."

"What do you think I was doing this morning?"

"You're a bit slow. Get a drink and we'll head into the combat room."

"Since when were you so hard on us?"

"Since I had to be to keep us alive. Come on."

He tapped me on the side of my legs before holding his hand out to me to help me up from the ground.

"We gotta go now. No slacking off."

"Fine."

He pulled me up with such force that I went flying across the room. I managed to catch myself before I splatted against the wall.

"Still very slow Issy. I have to get you working."

Leading me through the cold hallways, we then walked up the grey stairs and into the large combat room. There's a storeroom next door with guns, knives, knuckle dusters and all sorts else that we have to be trained in.

Trey taped up my wrists and knuckles before doing his own. He crouched slightly, ready in a fighting stance. I pulled at my hair so that it was tightly scraped back in a ponytail. Readying myself, I swung a punch at his face. He dodged it easily and swung at my stomach. The force he used knocked me to the ground.

"You really do need some more training Issy."

"No kidding."

For the next hour I swung punches at him, he easily blocked or dodged them. I was the one that got the bashing. He then moved on to shooting practise. Handing me a gun with blanks in, he had me practise shooting at him as he ran around, dodging as many bullets as he could while wearing a bullet proof vest and heavy boots. But my shooting wasn't something that I needed to work on. Each blank hit into the vest he was wearing, most fatal shots. If it wasn't for his unnatural strength, he would be bruised for the next week. As he ran, he moved towards me and threw himself at me and knocked me to the ground. I scrambled from underneath him and threw a punch to his face. It landed square on his nose and I could hear it crack. That didn't stop him though. He lurched forward, throwing me across the room and to the wall. Using his speed, he was holding my neck in an instant. Now I was used to this. Holding my breath, I waited just a moment. Bringing my knee up, I hit him right where it hurts only to get an elbow to the nose as he let go of me. Sliding along the floor, I grabbed my gun and shot him 'fatally' as he flew at me. He let himself collapse to the ground in front of me as if he really was dead.

"I think you need to remember the basic defence skills. You had that one coming."

"Just wanted to see if you'd remembered your training."

"Never forgot that move."

"Your gun work hasn't changed one bit. It's still some of the best I've ever seen."

"Try 'the best'."

"Not quite, but close. Good workout though Issy."

"I'll schedule in a workout tonight. We're getting your fitness up."

"Can't you wait till the morning?"

"Nope. You need a lot more training before you start on missions. And for them to consider sending you back on missions, you need to be in class with the other recruits. Now get moving, you haven't got long before your classes start."

"Who's taking my classes?"

"The same teachers as before. You'll be in a class of your own as you're solitary confinement, plus, you're miles ahead of any other student here."

"Doesn't mean I want to be alone all day every day."

"There's nothing I can do about that."

After the shortest shower in the world, I was sat in a very basic classroom. There were two lines of four individual metal desks with matching metal chairs behind. Each hour a different teacher came in as I stayed sitting in the same chair at the front of the room. At least the lessons were halfway interesting. They aren't the normal sort of lessons I'd be doing back in Forks. Here, I learn how to hack computers, I learn the different aspects of jobs ranging from a cleaner to a top end lawyer for when I'm on a mission. I also learn how to avoid security cameras, crack safes, turn off security alarms and more. A lot more.

When I went in for my evening session with Victoria, I was drained. I hadn't worked this hard in a long time. She was pretty smug when I collapsed into the chair in her room.

"How are you feeling Issy?"

"Straight to it Victoria? Boy, you aren't joking around today."

"You aren't going to answer any of my questions anyway, so I thought I'd get to the point quickly. So, how are you feeling?"

Making a point of crossing my arms, I leaned back and moved my hair over my shoulder and down my back.

"And how did you feel seeing Mr Pineda again?"

Since when did she start calling Trey, Mr Pineda? He'd always been Trent or X1-23. We'd all been given numbers when we first arrived; he was the first survivor of the experimentals. It took them 123 attempts to get it right. I must say though, when they did, they did good. We are the perfect weapons.

"And what about your training this morning? Mr Pineda came to me after your sessions. You didn't do as well as he thought you would. You have another fitness session when you've finished here. How does that make you feel?"

Not once did she look away from me but continued writing in her small notepad. Her comments and questions went on and on for over an hour before she let me go. It was a nightmare. I'd forgotten how boring her sessions could be. They were one of the things I hated most about this place. And you don't even know the half of it.

Dinner was given to me in my room before I was escorted back to the gym where Trey waited for me.

"Hey Is. How was Victoria?"

"Same as always. And since when has she been calling you by your last name?"

"I don't actually know. It's really weird when I hear that name. Everyone else just calls me Trent."

"Even that's weird. What happened to our titles?"

"Once everyone left, the whole Novum X project shut down, so there was no point to it anymore. When you're integrated into the others, then you'll be called X1-28 again. Everyone here knows about us, were sort of legends around here and they gloss over the escape part. But I shouldn't be telling you much about anything. I'm only supposed to be training you. So you'd better get running."

"Can't I do something a little less, well, energetic?"

"And for that question, I want you to sing."

"But I didn't…"

"You might want to close your mouth now."

Snapping my mouth shut, I knew he was right. If I finished what I was saying, I knew my workout would just be a lot worse.

Hopping onto the treadmill, he started it off slow but sped it up quickly.

"Red Leather, Yellow Leather. And go."

Taking a breath, I started singing Red leather, Yellow leather at a middle C, before climbing in scales. Part of my lessons when I was younger was singing. I was the best and had to keep practising in case it was needed for a profile on a mission. Which it was only once. Every time he made the machine go faster, I had to sing a note higher.

"And now, Firecracker."

That's a tough song when you're running. Parts of it are tough to sing when standing still as you have to move your lips around the words quickly. But this had been one of my favourite songs before so knew it perfectly. When it came to the end of that song, he called out the next, 'So Small' by Carrie Underwood. So as you can see, or hear, I like country music. What's there not to like about it?

The session continued for just over an hour as I ran and sang non-stop. Finally getting to stop, I was given five minutes to shower before locked up in my room. I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the metal slab.


	9. Progress

**Progress**

_Third Person_

_21st October 2017_

"How can we not have got anywhere in a week? There's nothing. Not one lead to follow."

"Torrode, we've looked through all of the CCTV footage in Port Angeles from February. This black hooded figure hasn't appeared anywhere. "

"Did we get a registration on the guns?"

"Yes. They are government issued weapons. As was the knife found in Bella's locker."

"And her fingerprints?"

"Still nothing. It's as if she doesn't have any fingerprints."

"We didn't get anything from her room?"

"There were four lots of consistent fingerprints throughout her bedroom we can rule out each set as they were a match to her father, Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen and Angela Webber. There were a few other sets scattered around, nothing matching anything on the server, but we have to assume they belong to other friends of Bella due to them lacking presence on some of her personal items."

"There was one similar case to this a few years ago. A man burnt his fingertips so that he had no fingerprints left. Is there a possibility that Bella's kidnappers burnt her fingers when she was younger?"

"Possibly. That seems to be the only explanation. It would have removed the chances of her DNA being left behind if they moved her."

Agents Torrode, Carter and Morossa were sat in Chief Swan's office, having taken it over when they had arrived just a week ago.

"Did we hear anything on Christopher Torpey?"

"I looked into it. It was almost impossible to find anything on him."

"I need some good news Morossa."

"I found one, very small, news article. It's from a small newspaper company that uploaded all of their previous papers to an online system last year. Chris, as he's called by his family, was kidnapped in a similar style four months after Bella. And then he reappeared in his hometown three days after Bella came home. Like with the Swan's, his family refused to answer any questions, so there was little information about what happened."

"Where does he live?"

"He died August of last year."

"Died?"

"It was a hit and run. It was actively investigated for three months, but after all leads ran cold, there was no choice but to close the case as an unsolved."

"Right, I want the case files sent over. That's the second person who was kidnapped at a similar age and in a similar way, escaped and then ended up dead."

"I'll contact head office and get those files."

"Do we know if there was any other connection between Chris and Bella?"

"No. Chris lived in Pennsylvania. There is no record of Bella travelling to the East coast. There isn't any record of Bella even leaving Washington State, other than when she was with her mother. But we didn't find any record of her going to Colorado, which we know she was."

"We have to assume she could have gone anywhere without leaving a trail. She's done it before. Did anything come of the search of Colorado?"

"Not really. There was a large farmhouse located next to the lake that Bella was photographed at. We know it was the place because of the big barn that could be seen in the side of the photo. A brief search was made but nothing was found. One of the Agents left a note though. There was a circle in the yard, made of some kind of white chalk or powder, dug into the ground. There was no grass inside of the circle, but outside it was green and healthy. It was just a little unusual. I tried tracking down the owner of the house. It belongs to a Sydney Gardener. 22, recently inherited from a grandmother. I called Miss Gardener and she wasn't aware of anyone being in the house in the last three years. Before that, her grandmother lived there."

"Strange place for a grandmother to live alone? Miles from any shops or health services."

"She apparently liked the solitude."

"We have to assume that Bella was there in the last three years then. Sometime when the house was empty. What about when she disappeared."

"There are no trails of those times. No large amounts of money missing from her bank. She had that cash in her drawer, but it was all still in the bank wrappers, so she wouldn't have touched that for a short weekend. She was gone for days at a time. She would have needed money, transportation."

"Tiff and I have gone through every piece of camera footage from all nearby bus stations in the nearby towns for the times she left. Facial recognition found no sign of her."

"So, maybe she never left Washington. She may have stayed in Forks, just out of sight."

"How would she be able to do that without help?"

"It would be difficult for Bella to hideaway, so often, in her hometown. She had to have somewhere to go. Food and money to keep her going."

"Who would she turn to for help?"

"There's one person, I know of, that would do anything for her."

"Edward Cullen."

"Ask if he'll come in to answer more questions. We need answers and I have a feeling that he knows more than he's told us."

"I'll have Sampson and Tiff go pick him up."

Agent Morossa left the room to send them off immediately. She then called head office to request the hit and run case files involving Christopher Torpey. Back in the office, Torrode started writing a list of questions and notes to be used when questioning Edward. He handed it over to Carter.

"I want you and Morossa in the interview room with Edward. You'll both put the pressure on him. Bella is still alive. And Edward might be able to explain what Bella's been doing the last few years."

"I'll ask him more about the hooded figure. It would help to have some recognisable features."

"And push him into remembering key dates."

"The tattoo changes and February?"

"And the time her Mother was killed. She left for a reason. Most people would stay with other family or friends after such a traumatic experience. Bella left completely. She must have been with someone during that time. She was only 15."

"Okay."

"Push him. But don't break him. We still need his help. We need something useful by the end of today."

Both Agents stood and left the office. Torrode went to give out his teams next instructions whilst Carter setup the interview room. He placed one chair on either side of the table and another at the end of the table, facing sideways. This was a textbook intimidation tactic. It would make Edward feel cornered and trapped whilst not completely overpowering him.

With everything ready, he stepped out of the room as Morossa brought Edward in. And let the psychological mind games begin.

"Do you want something to drink Edward? Coffee? Tea?"

"Just some water."

"Sure."

Leaving the room, she poured a polystyrene cup of water from the workstation and waited a few more minutes before entering the interview room again. Edward had, had time to adjust to the blank, cold room. He was nervous. He didn't know why he'd been called back to the station. He was still piecing everything together at home.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Taking the seat on the other side of the table, she opened up the file she'd also brought in and place the notepad down on the table.

"There are a couple questions that we need to ask you Edward. You may have been asked some of the questions before, but we need to clear up some of your answers."

"Sure. But I'm still looking at the dates Bella went away and if there is anything that I can remember from those times."

"I understand, but we still need to ask you some more questions."

He sipped at his water and nodded his head.

"Alright. Just so that you are aware, Edward, Agent Torrode is sitting in another room watching this interview as it is being filmed by that camera up there. You have voluntarily come into the station today for questioning, so you may leave at any time. Do you understand all of this, Edward?"

"Yes. I want Bella back, so will answer as many questions as I can."

"That's good to hear. Now, can you tell me about the black hooded figure?"

"I already spoke to Agent Torrode about him."

"I know, but I need you to repeat everything you said to me."

"Well, he looked about average in height. His face was covered by his hood, so I didn't get a look at his face. He just stood there for five minutes or so. He left just before I started up my car. I never saw him again."

"When you say average height, do you mean average for your age, or someone else's?"

"I'd say he was between 16 and 19. Just from the way he was standing."

"And you are sure you didn't see his face? Even just a skin colour, bit of hair?"

"No. It was dark at that time of day in February. I did find my Biology paper from that day though. It was dated the 16th."

"16th of February this year?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll look into that more."

Morossa smiled across to Edward, a way of showing him that he'd achieved something.

"We now have suspicions that Bella may have hidden other weapons in places she frequented. Which means we want to search your room. Now, we can spend time getting a warrant, or you can permit a search of your room by our team."

"You can search my room. But I doubt there's anything in there."

"Why?"

"There aren't many places that Bella could hide anything, and it not be found."

"We'd still like to look."

He nodded his head and placed his hands onto the table.

"Have you talked to Lucy Summers yet? What did she say?"

"We have spoken with her, but we can't discuss what she said. She has provided us with useful information though."

"Did she recognise any of the men that took Bella?"

"Edward, calm down. We are doing everything we can to find her. But right now, we are asking you for help. Now think, when Bella would go away for a few days, where would she go?"

"I don't know. She never said anything about it."

Agent Carter entered the room, walking with purpose as he stared down at the file in his hands.

"Look, Edward, we don't think she ever went anywhere. Maybe she never left Forks. You see, there are a lot of hunting cabins out in the forest. We're thinking, she went out to one of these cabins, stayed a couple days. Maybe got in a little target practise."

"I mean, it's possible. No one would see or hear her if she was deep enough in the forest."

"That's what we're thinking. But what we don't know is how she would do it alone. If something were to happen to her when she was out there, she must have been able to contact someone in case of emergency."

"Who do you think she would ask for help?"

Both Agents leaned back in their chairs and looked at each other before turning back to Edward.

"You think it was me? If I knew anything, I'd have told you. I wish Bella had trusted me enough to tell me where she went, but she obviously didn't."

"We know you want to find her, Edward. But we also know you'd have done anything for her. If she asked you to keep something secret, no matter what happens, we think you would. So we're finding it a little difficult believing everything you are telling us."

"Why would I lie? Bella could be being tortured right now, why would I hide anything that might help find her?"

"We're just trying to figure out the truth."

"Truth? You aren't looking for truth. You already think you're going to fail, don't you? That's why you're blaming me. You're setting up reasons to explain why you failed."

Edward was on his feet, leaning over the table.

"I'm not going to sit here, and have you blame me for this. Fuck you. Don't bother asking me anymore questions until you decide that you want to find her."

Kicking his chair over, he went over to the door.

"And get a warrant before you come to my house."

Slamming the door shut behind him, the sound echoed around the station. He stormed from the building and climbed into his car. Torrode watched him speed out of the parking lot from the window.

"Sorry Boss. We misjudged the situation."

"No. He's more temperamental than I thought. We shouldn't have made that approach at all. We'll just have to give him some time."

Looking down at Morossa, Torrode sighed.

"Get on that warrant. I want in his house tomorrow."


	10. Search

**Search**

_Third Person_

_21st October_

After having returned home, Edward had gone to his room, seething. He started throwing things around, smashing the cd cases that lined his wall. It was only when he'd run out of things to throw that he stopped. Collapsing to the floor, leaning against the side of his bed, he bowed his head and sobbed. Tears trailed down his face as he cried for the first time since Bella had been taken. Before now, he'd been holding it together in the shock of the thought that she was gone; that she was back with those people. But the shock was gone. Now he was facing the reality of it all. Bella wasn't the girl he knew. She'd hidden who she really was every day. And he hadn't noticed.

Staring across at his wardrobe, he remembered what Torrode had told him. Bella had a hidden compartment at the bottom of hers. She spent almost as much time in his as she did hers. If she had so many weapons around her room, she surely would have put some in his.

He crawled across the floor and pulled the door open. Tossing the clothes that he'd thrown down at the bottom over his shoulder, he was stopped by his Mother at the door.

"Edward? What… what happened?"

Her wide eyes moved around the room, taking in the mess. She then rushed over to him as he clawed at the back of his wardrobe.

"Son. Son, you need to stop. I know it hurts. I know you miss her."

"She's not who I thought she is. She lied to me. She lied."

His fingernails caught under the board and he ripped it up. The force of his pull brought his elbow flying back into his Mom's nose. She gasped, her hand coming up to the blood dripping out. But Edward hadn't noticed. All he could see was the gun nestled in a bed of cloth. His hand reached out and he lifted it. The cold metal felt odd in his hand, yet the balance of the weight seemed comfortable.

"Son. Son, put that down. We have to call the FBI agents."

He was deaf to his Mom's voice as he brought it closer to him, analysing it. He'd never seen a gun before, not a real one. It was strangely not what he was expecting.

Having gone to check on his wife and Son, Carlisle pushed Edward's bedroom door further open. Upon seeing the situation, he walked forwards slowly and held his hand out.

"Son, give me the gun. It's not safe. It could be loaded."

Edward didn't move, so Carlisle lifted the gun from his grasp. Holding it away from his family, he placed it on the floor by the window. He then knelt by his wife, looking over her nose.

"It doesn't look broken. But I'll take you in to the hospital with me."

"I'm fine. We should be here with Edward."

Esme placed her hand to her Son's shoulder, causing him to crumple. He sobbed violently as his Mom moved around and cradled him to her chest. Carlisle grabbed a cloth, placing it to her nose to take in the blood that was still flowing, but not as drastically.

"She's gone. She's gone. She left me."

For almost an hour, Edward was inconsolable. He clutched at his Mother, crying his desperation and grief out. A few tears trailed her own cheeks for the daughter she had lost. And that's what Bella had been. She'd been a daughter to Esme and Carlisle, trusting them more than most in her life. And now she was gone. Cruelly snatched away from her life of happiness. For what. They did not know.

"I'm sorry Mom."

"It's okay son. You didn't mean it."

Leaning his back against the side of his wardrobe, he could barely keep his eyes open.

"How did I not know? Bella, she was always so quiet. But I never noticed."

"This isn't your fault, Son. What Bella has been through, we can't even begin to understand. Her not talking was her way of dealing with it. Whether we find her, or she comes back herself, you will see her again. Bella's strong. She's going to find a way back. We just have to stay strong until then."

"I know. There's just so much I need to tell her."

"Son, I think I should drive you back to the station. We need to tell the FBI about the gun."

"They said they want to search my room."

"When are they coming?"

"I told them to get a warrant. They accused me of knowing more than I was saying."

"We're going back down to the station now, and you are going to tell Special Agent Torrode that he can come and search your room."

"Okay."

After hugging his Mom and apologising again, Edward followed his Father out to the car.

The sight of Dr Cullen's expensive BMW pulling into the station's parking lot drew the attention of Agent Morossa. She watched Dr Cullen and his youngest son climbing out, confused by their presence. It was only a few hours ago that Edward had stormed out of there.

"Torrode, Edward Cullen is back."

"Already?"

Leaving his office, Torrode made his way down to the reception as Carlisle led Edward in.

"Dr Cullen, is everything alright?"

"Agent Torrode, my Son would like to say something."

Carlisle gave Edward a pointed look and nodded his head.

"I found a gun in my room. Bella must have hidden it there. You don't need to get a warrant; you can search my room."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm sorry the interview took a turn earlier. If you are ready, I would like to ask you a few more questions, whilst my team head over to your house."

"Sure."

With Edward sitting back in the interview room, Torrode sent Tiff and Carter off with Dr Cullen. Tiff rode with Carlisle, Carter following behind in their government issued van. As they pulled through the forest and onto the large front lawn, Tiff couldn't hide her awe.

"You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. My wife designed it. She has always had an eye for beauty."

After parking up, Carter and Tiff grabbed a bag each and Carlisle welcomed them inside.

"I'm sorry, but Edward came back this morning and vented out his grief by throwing a lot of his stuff around his room. It's pretty messy. But I can help clear it up. My wife was lifting out some boxes when Edward and I left."

He pushed the door open to Edward's bedroom and Tiff and Carter glanced at each other. They almost couldn't see the floor. Esme stood from where she was knelt on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she packed up the dozens of CD and DVD cases.

"Esme, dear?"

She jumped a little, quickly wiping her cheeks as she stood up.

"Sorry, I was just cleaning up."

After her Son and husband had left, she'd cleaned up her nose, taken a painkiller and begun packing. Whilst her nose wasn't bleeding, it was already purple with a bruise.

"Are you okay, Mrs Cullen?"

"Yes. This was just an accident. Edward was prying up the board at the bottom of his wardrobe and his elbow hit my nose. I'm fine, thank you. I'll leave you to your work. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen. Just come ask."

She slipped passed them out of the door and descended the stairs.

"Torrode said that Edward found a gun."

"Yes. It's over here. Only Edward and I have touched it. If I had seen it before he'd lifted it, I would have told him to leave it."

Carter crouched down and picked it up in his nitrile gloves.

"Government issue. We all have one like it. The serial number has been melted away. It would take considerable heat to melt it down. And for the smooth finish, you'd need tools."

Having lifted out an evidence bag, Tiff held it out to him.

"Dr Cullen, we'll need to get your fingerprints to compare to those on the gun. We already have Edward's."

"Of course."

"We can handle the rest. It may take some time. We might have to block the room off for a few days."

"Sure. Anything you need. We want to find Bella as soon as possible. Edward can stay in the guest room downstairs until you are finished."

Carlisle left the Agents to their job, anxious as to what they might find.

Just over an hour after arriving, Tiff and Carter had cleared away everything in Edward's room. They then went over to his wardrobe. Kneeling down to look at the ripped up base board, Tiff placed the board back over it. Other than the splintered corner, there was no sign of it being a false bottom.

"This would have been difficult to lift in a rush."

"Why does an 18-year old high school girl need so many weapons? What threat could she possibly have been facing. With everything we've collected so far, she could have taken out an entire building."

"She would disappear for a couple days. What if she was a hired hitman? I mean, it's just a theory. But we know she had combat training and was a skilled marksman. After her Mom and stepdad were murdered, she vanished for five months. And since she moved in with her Dad, she's run off three times. She could have lifted the case at the bottom of her wardrobe and caught a private flight out somewhere."

"It's a theory. I'll ask Sampson to look into it."

"Sure."

They both stood up and glanced around the room.

"Where do we start? She could have hidden things anywhere."

"Well, she wouldn't hide anything out, like in her room. Edward is more likely to have found it."

"She'd still need to be able to access it relatively easily."

"Loose floorboards?"

"It's a good place to start."

They both walked around the room, tapping their feet against the floorboards. One made a more hollow, deep echoing sound. Kneeling beside it, they easily lifted it straight up, nothing holding it down. Underneath was a small black backpack. They slowly pulled it out and opened it up.

"Well, she was ready to run. All she had to do was grab the bag and go."

"She was prepared for an attack. So why wouldn't she prepare Edward, or her Dad for this? I don't believe she'd have walked out on the only family she had left. Not by choice."

Carefully unzipping the bag, Carter proceeded to lift out the items. There was a stack of passports, three bundles of cash, a set of keys, a phone, a pistol and a knife. Buried at the bottom, underneath everything was a note. He unfolded it and scanned across it.

"You won't believe this."

"What?"

"Police, FBI, CIA, whoever it is that is reading this, it is because I have disappeared under suspicious circumstances, or because I am dead. Do not waste your time tracing my weapons, phone or computers. You will find nothing. You will also attempt to follow a trail of my passports. Don't bother. These have not been used ever before. I ask that you leave my belongings where you found them, as I may be in need of them one day. Now stop looking for me. I will not be found. Either I will die where I am, or I will return on my own. Sincerely Isabella Marie Swan."

"She's written a letter!"

Tiff grabbed it off him, reading over it.

"This is ridiculous. Everything we think of, she is already two steps ahead."

She put the letter down beside the other contents of the bag and snapped a picture off it. Sending it straight to Torrode, she called him immediately.

"Boss, open the picture I just sent you."

"I'm guessing you found something useful?"

"Not exactly. Unusual, but not useful."

Torrode opened his emails and read through the letter quickly.

"This girl is insane."

"That's what we're thinking."

"Where did you find this?"

"At the bottom of a go bag. It also had money, we guess $5,000, six passports under different names but the same picture, a phone, gun and knife."

"She was ready to run."

"Yes."

"Edward's room?"

"Under a loose floorboard. We've not got to searching anywhere else yet. But Edward had found a gun under a false bottom of his wardrobe. Same issue as us, boss. It's an FBI regulated gun."

"How would she get a hold of one?"

"I'm not sure. But it's the same issue that was brought out last January. There aren't many known to be on the black market yet."

"And the passports?"

"All are valid for another eight years. Each claim she was born 1995, not 1999. I don't recognise any of the names, and the states on each are different."

"Send the names to Morossa. Let's hope she can pick up on something. Even if Isabella hasn't used the passports, they have to have been made somewhere. What else was there?"

"A set of keys. One looks like it might be a safe box, like in a bank. The rest could be house keys."

"Any make?"

"No. They're smooth, filed down. It will be almost impossible to trace. She's thought of everything."

"She's only 18. She can't be smarter than us. We'll get into her laptop soon. Can you get into the phone?"

"Not yet. We've not looked at it yet. It might need charging. It might need a battery. We'll have a look when we've finished up here."

"Okay. How long do you think you are going to be?"

"Another few hours. I doubt we'll find anything else, but we have to look."

"Okay, check in if you find anything else unusual."

Another four-hour search found resulted in nothing. No money, no computer, no guns, nothing. But there was more of the room to search. They'd lifted most of the floorboards, leaving the room dangerous. Tiff had called down another team from Seattle to fix the room back up so that they could continue searching. They'd be down early in the morning, so there was nothing more to do at the Cullens' house. Returning to the station, they filled the rest of the team in on what they'd found. They all concluded that, what should have been a relatively simple case, was actually the most challenging any of them had worked on.


	11. CCTV

**CCTV**

_22nd January 2018_

_Third Person_

Three months had passed since they'd searched Edward Cullen's room. Since then, all leads had run cold. None of the weapons they had found had been identified. They knew they were government issued, but with no serial numbers, there was no way of distinguishing which department they'd been stolen from. And the military sniper rifle was the same story. Having kept Bella's laptop plugged into the mains system, a super-computer running an algorithm constantly, there had been no luck so far. It was the most secure laptop they'd ever come across.

Tiff and Sampson had teamed up, scrolling through hours of CCTV footage from Port Angeles, dated February 16th. They were looking for anyone suspicious and out of place. Thousands passed through though, making it difficult to identify any one person. After days of staring at the screen, watching the different camera feeds, they finally got lucky. Bella's rusty truck came into view, driving in from the direction of Forks.

_Bella's POV_

_16th February 2017_

It had been a while since something had genuinely terrified me. But the sight of Jackson standing in the treeline across the parking lot did. School was out for the day and I had plans to go back to Edward's to watch a movie. We were talking about the test we'd just done in Biology class when I saw him. He was wearing black, a hood up and his head down. I knew no one else would notice him, he was hidden well enough, but his presence told me something was up. It had been a while since I'd heard from Zander. The first thing I'd thought was that they'd got to him. But Jackson's small smile calmed my nerves.

"You okay B?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know, I've got a bit of a headache all of a sudden."

"Do you feel sick?"

"No. Just a headache. I think we were up studying too late last night. Can you just drop me home?"

"Do you want me to call Dad?"

"It's not that bad. I think I just need to sleep."

"Okay."

Climbing into Edward's car, I glanced back to the trees. Jackson was gone now. He knew I'd call him when alone. Edward drove back to mine and parked up outside.

"Are you sure you're okay, B?"

"Yeah. I'll text you later."

I ran into my house and straight up to my bedroom. Shutting the door and locking it tightly, I lifted out the sim card from my phone and put in the secure one hidden in the lining of my backpack. The dial tone rang four times before he picked up.

"Jackson?"

"Issy, meet me at Rod's diner in Port Angeles. 7 o'clock. We need to talk."

He hung up the phone, leaving me standing there. Something was obviously happening. And I had been kept out of it.

Lifting out my backpack hidden under my floorboards, I threw in my stash of fake passports, ID cards and money. I pulled up the board at the bottom of my wardrobe, opening up the trunk hidden underneath. Turning on the laptop, I placed it aside, hoping that Zander had got in touch with me today. I picked up one of my Glocks, clicking it back and checking the bullets inside.

The sound of the front door opening and closing made me freeze. I would have been scared, but Charlie's clumsy movements were clear. Closing the trunk and placing my laptop on top of it, I shut the wardrobe door. Running down the stairs, I made enough noise to let Charlie know I was there.

"Hey Dad."

"Hey Bells. I thought you were hanging out with Edward tonight?"

"I was. Plans changed though. I'm going to meet him and Alice in Port Angeles in a bit. We're going to get some dinner and watch a movie."

"Sure. It's a school night though, so don't be out too late."

"I won't. I'll be back by half ten."

"Okay. I'm heading down to the Res soon, so I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Sure, Dad. Have fun."

"You too Bells."

Running back upstairs, I locked my door tight and turned on some music, muffling any noises. I pulled my curtains shut, flicking the lights on instead. With skin-tight black jeans on and a black t-shirt, there wasn't anywhere I could hide a weapon. That's where my boots came into play. I tucked a gun into the left boot, a knife in the right. My black hoodie was tied around my waist, my backpack over one shoulder. Charlie had already left so I faced no questions. Climbing into my truck, I drove through the dark, slightly faster than usual.

The drive to Port Angeles was tense. I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't seen Jackson since last May. We knew it was dangerous if we stayed in contact. So, the fact that he was here, something was going down. A part of me was hopeful that this was finally the start of our rebellion.

Pulling up outside my favourite bookshop, which was a dark spot in the CCTV, I slipped on my jacket, lifting the hood to hide my face. With my head down, I made my way through the busy streets of Port Angeles. Down a quieter end of town there were just a few people walking about, heading to the main street. No one paid me any mind.

_Third Person_

_22nd January 2018_

They followed the CCTV as much as they could, only losing her completely when she turned down a dark street.

"Is there anymore? Where did she go next?"

"We aren't sure. That's all we have of her."

The entire team were stood around the Chief's office, the large TV playing the footage.

"What's down that street?"

"Nothing much. There's an old hardware store, but that closes at five. A diner and a bookstore."

"The diner. Is it still there?"

"Yes."

"Sampson, we're driving up there. Good work guys. Go take a break. Get some food and sleep."

Torrode and Sampson climbed into his car, driving straight up to Port Angeles. Going into the lone diner, Sampson immediately took note of the CCTV camera partially hidden over the doorway.

"Hi, can I help you?"

Lifting out his badge, Special Agent Torrode announced himself.

"We are investigating the abduction of a girl from Forks. We have reason to believe she met with someone suspicious here about a year ago."

He held out a picture of Bella.

"Do you recognise this girl?"

The woman took the picture, staring down at it.

"Yeah, I remember her. Beautiful, but odd. I get some weirdos in here, but her and her friend were a different kind of weird."

"She met someone?"

"Yeah. Some guy. Tall, short brown hair, beautiful, like her."

"Does your camera work?"

"Yes. Always check it at the end of every week. I tend to attract a bad crowd. I need it for insurance."

"You wouldn't have footage from February stored, would you?"

"Only of your girl."

"Why?"

"I can't keep every minute of footage, but I tape a hard copy whenever something weird happens. Just in case, you know."

"What did you see that made it weird?"

"They were both dressed in black, like head to toe. I thought they were thieves or something. They were talking quietly. Like whispering."

"Where were they sitting?"

"In the corner, over there. He was facing the wall; she was facing the door."

"Can we get that footage?"

"Sure. Wait here."

She disappeared in through the kitchen archway.

"This guy she met, Edward was right, she knew him. He was a friend."

"Do you think he's another child kidnapping victim?"

"It's possible. But he could just be a guy she met during a dark period."

A couple minutes later the woman came back out, an old VHS tape in hand.

"Here ya go."

"Thanks. Do you remember seeing the two ever again?"

"They never came back."

"Okay. Well, if you ever see either of them again, give me a call."

Torrode handed over his card. They both turned to the door.

"There was a smell."

Looking back over his shoulder, Torrode went back.

"A smell?"

"Yeah. It smelt like burning flesh."

"How do you know what burning flesh smells like?"

"I own and work in a diner. I've had plenty of staff burn themselves. I know what burning flesh smells like."

"What caused the smell?"

"I don't know. That's what was really weird. I could only smell it when I was near their table. They sat for almost an hour, only their fingertips touching. I know it's crazy, but I imagined them burning their fingerprints off."

"Thank you. Have a good night."

Climbing back into their car, Torrode looked to Sampson.

"We didn't get anything back on that handprint burn on the dead assailant in the gymnasium, did we?"

"No. Just that it was a female hand, caused by a 190-degree heat."

"I don't want you to think I'm crazy, but are we going to entertain the idea that Bella has some kind of ability that causes burns?"

"It would explain the fact that we haven't been able to find any fingerprints that we can definitely say are hers."

Torrode started up the car, shaking his head. Heading back to Forks, they both thought over the new information.

"What if the organisation that took her was running some kind of experiment? They take a bunch of kids, train them, give them some sort of drugs or medical procedures. We know Bella is well beyond our intelligence, she's proved that with everything we've found. She would have achieved that through education as a child. What we know for certain is that three children were abducted either at age three or four, escaped ten years later and appeared suddenly on their own doorsteps. Now two of them are dead and another abducted violently for a second time."

Torrode glanced to Sampson. Everything he'd said didn't sound as insane as it should. The possibility of medical experiments had already been considered. But there was no evidence in the numerous medical reports after Bella came home.

"In the next few days, I want you to quietly research medical experiments and the ability to control fire. Nothing about this case has been normal, why should it start being normal now?"

Once they got back to the station, Sampson set about transferring the VHS tape to digital.

The next morning, everyone was gathered around the office again, ready to watch the diner CCTV.

_Bella's POV_

_16th February 2017_

I pushed the door to the diner open, lowering my hood. In the far corner booth sat Jackson. He had a glass of coke in front of him and he was staring down at his phone. I slipped into the booth across from him, placing my backpack under the table.

"Good to see you safe, Is."

"You too Jay. What's going on? Why haven't I heard from Zay in a while? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Is. Aside from Madison, he's safer than the rest of us. None of us have seen him since we were 13. But things are happening. After Ashley, Austin and Chris, they're desperate. Zay thinks you're next. I mean, they've tried once already."

"Why wouldn't he tell me himself?"

"Any communication with you puts you more in danger."

"I should know. If they're coming for me, I need to be prepared. I won't go down without a fight."

"I know you won't. Which is why I'm here. If they're coming for you, then they won't kill you. You are the favourite. They will want you alive, kicking and screaming."

We both stopped talking as the server came over, a pot of coffee in hand.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Can I have a Fanta and the classic burger?"

"I'll have the burger supreme."

"Anything else?"

"No thanks."

She turned away from us. But we still kept our voices down.

"Zander doesn't want any of us talking to you. But they know where you are, so it's not like we're giving away your location. If they want you, they will come for you, it doesn't matter what the rest of us do. So you need to keep yourself safe. I'd ask you to hide, but I know you won't. You have more reason than the rest of us to want to take them out. And you've got away from them once before, I know you can do it again."

"I won't let them hurt my Dad. I couldn't protect my Mom, but I can protect my Dad."

"That's what Zander's afraid of. He said that you'd give yourself up for him. And I know I would do the same, but as your friend, I have to tell you that you are far more important."

"You are lucky Jay, they haven't come after you, not yet at least. I know I had it easiest in the facility, but I didn't ask to be the favourite. I don't even know why I am. I'm no different to the rest of you. For some reason they've chosen me for something, and they will hurt everyone I love to get to me."

"None of us ever envied you for being the favourite. Most kids do, but we knew what that meant for you. You weren't punished as much as we were, but when you were, it was torture."

The server came back with our drinks and plates of food. I gave her a quick smile before lifting a French fry. Looking down at my plate, I felt the cold metal of the knife against my ankle.

"I'm ready. After my Mom… I made arrangements."

"Are you ever going to tell us where you went?"

Taking a breath, I looked up into his shining coral blue eyes.

"I went back."

"Back where?"

"Colorado. The facility was sitting empty. Everything was still there though."

"Why?"

"I wanted revenge. A part of me thought they'd have reclaimed it after we escaped. Another part just needed to be somewhere familiar. Somewhere that felt cold. I trained like we would have done, running, shooting, combat. I didn't know how to grieve, so I fought the emotion, just as they'd taught us to do. It was destructive, and I felt so alone, but it was what I needed."

"Why didn't you reach out to us? Zay had no idea where you were."

"Because you all had lives. You were all happy. Zander and I, we're different to the rest of you. Each of you has a partner, someone made for them. I know Chris, Toby and Brianna lost theirs, but they knew that love that I never will. You guys can make lives together. Zander and I are made to be alone."

"You don't have to be alone Is. Just because 1-27 never made it, doesn't mean you can't have love. Who was that guy that drove you home?"

"He's just a friend."

"Maybe, but I can see that he wants more. Just because he might not have been made for you, doesn't mean you can't love him. You've clearly made a life here. A life you don't want to let go of. And you have every right to that life. Zay has always been very withdrawn. He hides himself from his emotions. But you, you were always so high-spirited. You and Anabel together, you really were a force to be reckoned with."

"I miss her."

"I do too."

We both became sombre for a moment, sipping at our drinks. Jackson's hand lay on top of mine, opening my fingers up.

"We'll get her justice one day."

"I thought that's what you'd come here for. I thought that it was finally time and that you'd come to bring me in."

"No. We're not ready yet. Zay is still talking to Trent finding out what he can. Until he gets more information, there's nothing we can do."

"I know. But I'm ready for a fight."

"Patience. That's one thing we learnt that is actually quite useful."

"We learnt a lot of stuff we never should know. Is there any word on why? Why are we different? And why us?"

"Nothing. The only thing is our DNA. We were all IVF implants, but there's no word on what they did to our DNA. Or why."

"I'd just like to get my hands on the doctor that did this to us."

"Get in line. Terra is biting at the bit to get to him. Now that we're older and have hope of living semi normal lives, she's been talking about kids. None of us will ever have the chance at kids. Even if we weren't sterilised, we couldn't risk reproducing, not with the thought of passing our abilities onto them. She isn't heartbroken over the inability to have children, but she hates the unfairness of it."

"I've never thought about kids. I guess I never saw the point."

"One day, we're going to get the answers we deserve, and we'll all be able to put it behind us and get to live. Until that day, we have to stick together. Zay is up to something. I don't know what. And I don't know what to do. We all had our families to return to. We should have been there for him when we escaped. His parents, they died when we were inside."

"What?"

"Didn't he tell you?"

"No. What has he been doing since?"

"I think he travelled about by himself for a while. And then he put himself in the system. I'm guessing he'd found a family to take him in. I wouldn't know though. He doesn't talk about it much."

"He should have told us."

"That's just him. I've been trying to convince him to join us this May. He hasn't allowed himself to grieve, or even remember our friends."

"We'll see him again one day."

Picking at my food, I stared into nothingness. Jackson took my hands, laying them down flat on the table between us. He slid the pads of his fingers onto mine.

"My fingerprints have grown back. Terra's haven't yet. But our cell regeneration is beginning to speed up."

"I noticed the same thing a few weeks ago."

Heating my fingers up, I stared into his eyes as he tensed, my skin burning his. I glanced over my shoulder, through the diner's kitchen window. The waitress was in the kitchen, watching us. Seeing me looking at her, she lifted a pot of coffee and came over to us, eyeing our hands.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"We'll take two coffees, please."

She poured them out before grabbing a pot of milk.

"Anything else?"

"Not at the minute, thanks."

She turned away from us but didn't return to the kitchen. She started wiping down the counter.

"She's listening to us."

"I know."

"We should have just met in the forest."

"We're civilised people now, Issy. We sit in run down diners, eating greasy food, like normal people do."

"Nothing will ever make us normal. We're freaks."

"Come on Issy. I know we are freaks, but that doesn't mean we have to act like that. We've come a long way from the child assassins they engineered."

"It's not been that long Jay. No matter how much we separate ourselves from who we were, we will always be Black Harts. There's no escaping."

I stared down at the black ink on the inside of my wrist.

"There will always be darkness in our hearts. We have to hold on to the light, or we'll be lost forever. You need to let the light in. We escaped the facility, but you haven't left yet, Is. A part of you is still back there."

"I can't let go."

"I know it's hard. We all found it difficult letting go. But you can't move on with your life if you don't let it go."

"You don't get it, Jay. I can't let go. They… they tied me to that place, to them."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the investors… she took a particular liking to me."

"What do you mean by that? Did she…?"

"No. She never touched me like that. Not like some of the others. But she was a regular investment. In exchange, she received a share."

"A share in what? In the experiment?"

"No. A share in me. Do you remember when I started being taken away for individual assignments?"

"Yeah, it was odd. You were the only one that would go. Was that what was happening?"

"I would go on particular assignments for her. Whatever she wanted, I had to do. After my tenth birthday, I underwent a couple surgeries. I don't know what they were for, but I knew they were for her. I'd be taken into the medical wing, I'd lie myself on the bed, staring up at the bright lights. The masked doctors would surround me, sticking a needle in my arm to sedate me. Once, I had glanced over to the observation room and I saw her standing there."

"What do you think they were doing?"

"I have no idea. They weren't harvesting my organs. I'd have noticed if any were missing. I'd be in a lot of pain though for a couple days after. I never figured out what they were doing to me."

"I'm so sorry Is. We never knew."

"Until I find out what they did to me, I can't move on."

"Does Zander know?"

"No. I haven't told him."

"He could look into it. He has files and documents. There may have been something mentioned."

"I don't entirely trust Zay at the minute. Look, I'm handling it. Please don't mention it to the others. Especially Terra. When I know more, I'll tell everyone myself."

"I won't say anything. But you know we're all here. Maybe not in person, but we have ways of talking."

"I know. Thanks for coming to see me. I know it's putting you in more danger, but I needed to see someone, just to keep me sane."

Jackson moved his hands back, the tips of his fingers red raw and already blistering. I took a long drink of my coffee, sitting back in the booth.

"How are you getting home?"

"I've a car parked out in the forest."

"Where do your parents think you are?"

"Touring Washington State campus. I'll drive into Seattle, stay the night and leave in the morning."

"When did you leave home?"

"Two days ago."

"We could have spent two days together? Why didn't you show up sooner?"

"I really was touring UW."

"Are you actually thinking about going to College?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because there is nothing we could learn by going to College."

"The Ghosts stole our childhood from us. Terra and I aren't going to let them steal anything else. Plus, our parents don't know what happened. They expect us to go. We've started looking at different Colleges."

"So, you introduced Terra to your family then?"

"Yes. Sorry, I forgot to say."

"How's that going?"

"Great. We said we met at Summer Camp two years ago and had stayed in contact. I fly down to Arizona three times a year and she comes up to Idaho in between. My Mom loves Terra."

"I'm happy you figured it out. I know you guys are going to be really happy."

"You'll find your guy Issy, if you haven't already."

His phone buzzed and he glanced down at it.

"It's getting late. I should go."

I looked down at my phone. It was nearly ten. I wasn't going to make it home for half past. I just hoped my Dad would be out later than that.

"Are you prepared in case they come for you?"

"I've a few bits."

"Walk me to my truck and I can give you a gun, knife and some cash. I've got plenty."

Climbing out of the booth, I threw my backpack over my shoulder. The waitress glanced at us and then at the table where I'd left money. Giving her a bright smile, I pulled my hood up and followed Jackson out the door.

_Third Person_

_22nd January 2018_

"Was there sound?"

"No. Just visual."

"Okay. Send it off for someone to interpret what was being said. We can just about make out Bella's lips moving. It's a shame we never got a good look of the guys face."

"Go back a bit. To just before they touched fingers."

Sampson rewound the footage and slowed it down.

"Stop. There."

The quality wasn't great, but it was easy enough to see. The man had a black heart tattooed to the inside of his wrist.

"Didn't Christopher Torpey have the same tattoo? In the same spot?"

"Yes. Ashley Meleedy did too."

"The question is, did they choose to get the tattoos after they escaped? Or did their kidnappers give it to them?"

"They gave them to themselves. Bella, she was rubbing it with her thumb, staring at it. It means something to her. Something important. If there were bad memories associated with it, she would have got it removed, or covered it up. It's a way we can identify them though. We know there were more. We just have to look for children who returned home around the same time Bella did, with a tattoo on the inside of their wrist."

"I can run the parameters through the system. It will identify any pictures that have been uploaded to the internet in the last five years of children at a similar age to Bella each year. I can then have it only select images with tattoos on the arm."

"Get started on that. Tiff, can you start looking into hotels in Port Angeles and Seattle for the night of the 16th February last year. A young male checking in, paying in cash for one night. Start making calls."

"Morossa, go through the CCTV again, see if you can pick up anything else. Carter, Soccorso, get an update on the weapons we sent of for testing. And look at Bella's computer again."

With a job in hand, each went off to continue working on the insane case that was Isabella Swan.


	12. Timeline

**Timeline**

_Third Person_

_23rd January_

Having taken over most of the Forks' Police Station, the FBI Agents were sitting around the remodelled workroom. With the new CCTV evidence, a slightly more detailed timeline was being written up on the plastic wall lining, the information of Christopher and Ashley being added now that they knew there was a definite connection. One corner of the room had been transformed into a high-tech computer lab. The laptop found in the heavy trunk in Bella's bedroom had been connected and a new decryption software was constantly running in an attempt to access its data. All the weapons retrieved had been sent to the Seattle lab to be analysed, but little information had been gathered. Following the flurry of activity surrounding the CCTV tape, Torrode, Sampson, Soccorso, Tiff, Morossa and Carter were briefing each other on all the new information retrieved.

13th September 1999 – Bella Swan, born

29th October 1999 – Chris Torpey, born

17th February 2000 – Ashley Meleedy, born

2nd August 2003 – Bella, first taken

1st December 2003 – Chris, taken

4th February 2004 – Ashley, taken

19th May 2013 – Ashley appears home at 8.30, Bella appears home at 22.00

22nd May 2013 – Chris appears home at 9.30

9th April 2014 – Bella moves to Arizona with Mom

17th May 2014 – Disappears for three days

17th May 2015 – Disappears for three days

11th July 2015 – Ashley, dies

18th August 2015 – Renee Swan killed, Bella vanishes

5th January 2016 – Bella moves back to Forks

17th May 2016 – Disappears for three days

22nd September 2016 – Chris dies

16th February 2017 – CCTV from Port Angeles diner

17th May 2017 – Disappears for three days

May/June 2017 - Picture of Bella in Colorado

12th October 2017 – Bella taken from school

"So, this is what we have so far. It's been three months. There are still a lot of dark periods; I need them filled in. Soccorso, I want to know who the guy was in the CCTV, have you got anything?"

"Not yet. I'm running the clearest image we have off him, with the descriptive parameters Edward gave us. It will take a while before we get anything."

"Tiff keep on top of the team checking the hotels in Seattle. He had to have somewhere to stay the night. Carter, is there any word on the guns or knives?"

"Nothing. The lab is still running tests on the rifle. As it's not a civilian weapon, they haven't tested one before, so they're taking their time on it. The knives have no fingerprints on them at all. We've found nothing with Bella's fingerprints."

"Every fingerprint we've come across in Bella's bedroom, locker or the Cullen's house have been identified, bar a few scattered individuals. Most are linked to Edward or Alice."

"Okay. Sampson and I have come up with a new line of investigation. Before any of you think us crazy, just listen."

Torrode looked to Sampson who pulled up a picture of the burned handprint on the body of one of the assailants.

"We haven't been able to identify what caused this burn. All logical answers have been ruled out. Which leaves the question, how did he get it within the hour before he died? We know that he was present at the High School in the thirty minutes prior to his death. I took an image of Bella…"

He put up a photograph lifted from Bella's room where her hand was visible.

"I've used a piece of software which allows me to match Bella's hand shape and size to the burn mark. It gave a 97% certainty that the burn was made by Bella's right hand."

"How?"

"We believe…"

"Are looking into..."

Sampson nodded his head to Torrode.

"We are looking into the possibility that Bella holds specific abilities that allow her to channel heat to her hands."

"A pyrokinetic?"

"It's just a theory. There is other evidence that suggests the same."

A freeze frame of the CCTV showed Bella's fingertips touching the unknown man's.

"The waitress from that night said she smelt burning flesh during this moment. We know Bella has no fingerprints. In theory, she could have been burning her friend's away too."

"We're only looking at this as a possibility right now. Morossa, do you know anything about this?"

"I've heard of a few cases of unique abilities."

She scrolled through her computer; previous case notes stored safely on it. Connecting her laptop up to the screen, she clicked on a specific file.

"Eight years ago reports were made of a young girl disappearing into thin air. A crime was always committed in the vicinity of the girl disappearing. As each report was made in a different city, a link was formed. People just suspected she had slipped out of a window or gone unnoticed in a crowd. But CCTV caught the girl going into a bathroom at a train station and she never came out. The bathroom had no windows and the door was never obscured from the camera long enough for her to have slipped out. About twenty minutes before the girl had gone into the bathroom, a bank was robbed. It was unusual though. There was no evidence of the robbery taking place until the manager went to check the vault at the end of the day. No alarms were tripped, no one broke in. The door mechanism showed no unlogged openings. Someone had got in without opening the door. The ventilation was checked, and no one had accessed it either. CCTV from all the banks camera's showed nothing. It did show the girl walking in the front door with a woman and another girl. At some point the girls were separated from the woman and couldn't be seen by any of the cameras. The other girl was seen leaving the bank with the woman, but she wasn't."

Showing a picture of a young girl, around the age of nine or ten, Morossa sighed.

"No one's been able to identify her. And because she was seen committing no crime, the police overlooked the significance of her suspicious behaviour. I mean, no Mother walks into a bank with two children and leaves with one."

"Was she ever seen leaving the bank?"

"That's what makes it weirder. She wasn't recorded leaving the bank at all. All entrances and exits were covered by cameras, all windows covered too. Not one picked up on her leaving."

"Who was the woman that was with her?"

Putting up a picture of the three entering the bank, Morossa looked up at it on the larger screen.

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"Look at the other little girl."

They all diverted their eyes to the girl on the left. Slowly they each realised who they were looking at.

"That can't be… Can it?"

"Run it through your software, Sampson. We have to be certain before we jump to any conclusions."

Plugging Morossa's computer into his, Sampson zoomed into the still and dragged it across. They all watched as the photo was analysed, identifying facial features being compared to a more recent photograph of Bella. 96%. They all stared at it, shock taking over. Tiff was the first to speak.

"Are we saying that a ten year old Isabella Swan robbed a bank with this other girl?"

"It's too much of a coincidence. We always had a suspicion that she was taken for a reason. This was it. No one is going to suspect two young girls of robbing a bank."

"We need an ID on the other girl and the woman they were with. Whether she's just another piece in the plan, or if she's orchestrating it, we need to know who she is."

"I'll work on it. My friend worked the original case, I'll reach out to him and see what he remembers."

"This is the only piece that we have of Bella's whereabouts the first time she was taken. We now know she wasn't hidden the entire time. There must be more sightings of her. I want everyone reaching out to friends and colleagues who may have unsolved cases with suspicious circumstances. Okay. Do we have any more on Chris or Ashley?"

"Yes. So, we know Ashley drowned in 2015. The Police said it was an accident at the time. There was no sign of foul play. It was an open lake, with no one around for miles. I had a friend from the Sacramento PD go down to her parents' house and ask a few questions. Ashley's parents, Janine and Mark, they were excited that we were looking into her death. They never believed their daughter's death was an accident. Ashley was a great swimmer. She competed for her school, won quite a few competitions too. Scouts had been trying to get her to go pro. They thought she'd be able to compete in the next Olympics."

"A proficient swimmer wouldn't drown in a lake in the middle of nowhere."

"Her parents had fought to continue the investigation. But after a couple days, it was ruled an accident. There were no drugs found in her system, so she wasn't unconscious. And there were no defensive wounds on her body. It all seems suspicious to me."

"We assume it wasn't an accident then. What did they say about the time Ashley was kidnapped?"

"Well, she disappeared in the same way to Bella. Her Mom put her to bed, and the next morning she was gone. The window was slightly open and there was one footprint on the ground outside. But other than that, there was nothing. No car or van linked to the kidnapping, so they couldn't trace any vehicles. In 2008, Janine and Mark moved house. It wasn't far, just a few streets down. Ten years after disappearing, Ashley knocked on the door of the house her parents had moved into. She never said anything about where she had been, who she had been with, what happened and how she got home."

"Did she ever disappear like Bella? Just for a few days?"

"Yes. The first time was a year after she'd come back. Her parents remembered exactly what happened. Ashley had asked if she could go on a trip with a friend and her family for four nights. They'd been apprehensive but said yes. It was early in the morning of the 16th May that a car pulled up across the street. Ashley kissed her parents' cheek and ran outside before they could say anything. They watched from the door as she climbed into the passenger seat. The windows were tinted so they couldn't see who was driving, but they didn't recognise the car. Both were a little uncomfortable letting her go. It was a few hours later that Janine decided to call the parents Ashley was supposed to be with. But they had no idea what she was talking about. Worried, she called the police. As Ashley had willingly got into the car, and actively lied to her parents about where she was going, there was little they could do. They did file a report, giving the make and model of the car she'd got into. An officer looked into it, and it had been stolen in Idaho the night before. It was then found in the Nevada that afternoon. Janine spent most of the day calling Ashley's phone, but she'd left it at home. Later that night, they received a call from an unknown number. It was Ashley. She told them that she was safe, that she needed to do something and would be back by the end of the week."

"It can't be a coincidence both Bella and Ashley disappearing for a few days in May, a year after they returned home. I'm certain they were taken by the same people. We assume they knew each other. And if someone picked up Ashley, we know there were others."

"2014 wasn't the only year they both disappeared at the same time. They did the same in 2015 too. Again, in May."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. I got a picture sent through. She had an identical tattoo on her wrist to Bella's."

"So we know she was one of them. Have the picture compared with the girl from the bank. What about Chris?"

"He had the same tattoo too. And like with Bella and Ashley, he disappeared in the middle of the night. On the 22nd May 2013, at 9.30, he knocked on his parents' front door in Pennsylvania. He never spoke about the time he was gone. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, he walked out on May 17th and return May 21st. Same enough as Bella and Ashley. The hit and run that killed him was never solved. The vehicle was determined to be a freight truck. The model and company it belonged to was never discovered. As the accident took place on a highway cutting through the forest, there were no witnesses. The case ran cold in just two days. It is still open, but not ongoing."

"So, we have an organisation, kidnapping children from small neighbourhoods, raising them, they either then are released, or escape, and now, we have two dead kids and another kidnapped from her High School. We know there must be more of them. The man from the CCTV knew Bella well. And yet no one knows who he is. Sampson, can you use age changing software to produce a rough image of what he may have looked like as a three or four-year old? Run the image through the missing child database from 2003 and 2004. If we can identify him, we'll have a living victim that we can talk to."

"I'll get started on that right-away."

"Morossa, have you found any connection that links these three together?"

"One. But it's not solid. Bella was an IVF baby. Renee and Charlie struggled getting pregnant so decided to try IVF. It took them a few different tries before they were successful. Ashley and Chris were both IVF babies too. So far, I haven't found anything to prove that this could be relevant. They had different doctors, so they most likely weren't targeted at conception."

"Keep looking into that. Tiff, did you get anything on where the tattoos were done or when Bella had them done?"

"A black heart is common. Until we get a sample of the ink used, we won't be able to find where she received it. We know the man in the CCTV had the same tattoo on the inside of his wrist. If we can find him, either he can tell us where it's from or we can get a sample from him."

"There's plenty to be working on, so let's get moving."


	13. Treadmill

**Treadmill**

_Bella's POV_

_29__th__ January_

Sitting in Victoria's torture room, I was expecting the usual questions and lectures. She'd taken to having meetings with me at 6 o'clock every other morning as well as the evening ones. More torture, great.

This meeting seemed different from the start. I knew something was going on. And when something happens, it's usually bad news.

"So, Issy, how have you been finding the solitude?"

That voice. It is so patronising. My silence was no surprise to her. She watched me carefully, looking for any sign. This is what she was trained for. The slightest of movements and she'd pick up on them.

"How would you like to be around some of the other recruits?"

I knew this was coming eventually, so I could easily control my reaction to it. I wasn't looking forward to intermixing with the recruits. I wouldn't consider myself a recruit anymore. I'm a veteran. I lived this life for years. These girls have probably only been here for a few years.

"Max will take you to the training room in five minutes to join Trent's fitness session with the older group of recruits. This is a trial basis and if it doesn't work out, you'll be back to solitude. And if there is any sign of your abilities coming through, you'll be put into the tank."

So there goes that. The tank is what I woke up in when I was brought back here. The blue, translucent jello stops my abilities from coming through. You also have to be unconscious when you're in the tank. Waking up is the most uncomfortable experience in the world. And I've had some extremely uncomfortable experiences in my short life so far.

"Trent's not allowed to call you Issy anymore. You'll be referred to as your given name, X1-28. And the other recruits will address you the same way."

I knew that would happen also. Dean wants us to be proud of who we are. But I'm not. Why would I be? And who, in the world would want to be like me.

"You'll remain in your solitude room, but you will be in the canteen for lunch and dinners. There is no fighting. You have to set an example to the other recruits. Punishment is more severe than it was before."

Obviously. The punishments didn't really work the first time I was here. And the recruits they brought in, after the Novum X program shut down, need to be controlled through implanted fear. We were all terrified from the beginning. We were young, we had these abilities that weren't natural, they didn't need to do anything to make us scared, we already were.

There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open. Max stepped into the room, but I didn't turn to look at him. I continued staring into Victoria's eyes. She dismissed me and sent me off with Max.

_Third__ Person_

In the gym, 16 treadmills had been lined up 4x4, with TV screens plugged around the wall. Trent was stood at the side of the room beside a long wooden bench. Four guards led in the 15 recruits, ready for their training session. These recruits are the oldest. They're all 17 or 18. The youngest in the program being 6. They were each confused by the treadmills. They'd never seen this before. Sitting down in a line along the bench, they were worried for what was going to happen.

"Today we have a new recruit joining us. She will be here in a minute. But I wanted to explain this new exercise first. You can see the treadmills, and you can see the TV screens. This is something that I did when I was part of the Novum X program. Since it shut down, they got rid of it. They didn't think you normals would be able to cope. I wanted to bring it back."

Every time the Novum X program was mentioned, the recruits always became more interested. They didn't know much about it, other than it was designed to create the best soldiers. And Trent was a part of that.

"How it works, each of you will be running on a treadmill. I will increase the speed individually every few minutes. Whilst you are running, you will also be singing. This builds up your stamina. The lyrics will be up on the screens if you don't know them. If you cannot run any longer, tap the machine twice and jump down. You can have a five-minute break, but then you have to get back up. If I do not think you are singing loud enough or clearly, I will tap you out. If you get off three times, you're out. When there is only one person left on the treadmills, we will be finished."

Jumping onto the treadmill at the front in the middle, Trevor raised his arm and the girls stood up.

"Pick a treadmill. And just because you're at the back doesn't mean I'm not looking at you."

Each of the girls took their spots, one more eager to be at the front, sharing the middle with Trevor. Caitlin was the eldest of them all. She had been on missions longer than any of the others. The others were scared of her. She was aggressive and sometimes violent when they were training. She would win this competition.

The door was pushed open and Max strode in with Issy behind him. She was confident, ready to go. There was no way these girls would be better than her.

"New girl. Up here."

Trevor didn't introduce her to the group. He climbed off the treadmill and waited for her to jump on.

"We did this two days ago, you know what we're doing."

"I got it Trey."

Caitlin was outraged by the exchange between the new girl and Trevor. She'd done this exercise before. Hadn't he just said that they'd abandoned the training program? And where did Trey come from. It's Trevor, he hates it when people called him anything else. These thoughts were flooding through Caitlin's mind as she glared over at the new girl.

"Alright. Everyone press the start button."

They did what he said, and the machines started up. It was a slow walk at first, each of them warming up.

"The music will be relatively quiet, that way you can hear yourselves and each other singing. If I call your name, you sing alone. So, you have to listen for names. Can everyone see at least one of the screens? If you can't raise your hand. It's not a problem if you tell me. It will be a problem if you don't say anything."

With no one raising their hands, Trevor turned the screens on.

"We'll start with something to get your lips moving. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters."

Some of them had heard this song before and had to refrain from groaning. Issy wasn't expecting this and rolled her eyes. If they were moaning about this, they obviously didn't know anything about what this place is really like.

Counting them in, Trevor stood at the front so he could see everyone. Their voices harmonised with each other, Issy's the loudest. She always sang full out. Why should she quiet down? She had to stand out. She wouldn't let herself be just another recruit.

As Trevor increased the speed of the treadmills in intervals, some of the girls were a little out of breath at the end of the first song. With a thirty second break after the second song, it gave them the slight opportunity to catch their breaths again. But then the next song came up and they had to sing again.

It was halfway through the third song, Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, that one of the girls tapped herself out. She couldn't go on any longer. Disappointed, Trevor shook his head. He thought they'd all last at least twenty minutes, not ten. Having to tap out another of the girls just a minute later, he was getting more brutal towards those still running. He'd sped up the treadmills till they were flat out running.

At the 30-minute mark, there were eleven girls having been tapped out once and three tapped out twice already. Only Issy and Caitlin hadn't tapped out yet. But Caitlin was running out of breath. Trevor was keeping a very close eye on her. He knew there would be a rivalry between these two. He'd been waiting for someone to put Caitlin in her place. She had no idea how bad this place could be.

"Caitlin!"

Trevor shouted out her name and everyone else silenced. She continued singing alone, her voice whispered and breaking as she was exhausted. Each had bottles of water that Trevor had been replacing every time they ran out. But Issy had yet to run out. He expected she could continue on for hours.

When Caitlin stumbled over a line, Trevor tapped her out. Angry, she stomped over to the bench. Grinning, Trey winked at Issy.

"New Girl. When the next song starts, you take lead."

Slowing down each of the treadmills, Issy fell into a smooth jog along with the four other girls behind her that weren't on their five-minute break. As the song started up, Issy knew exactly what he was doing. Taking a gentle breath, she opened her mouth to sing the soft ballad of Tennessee Waltz by the unrecognised Eva Cassidy.

"I was dancing with my darling  
To the Tennessee waltz  
When an old friend I happened to meet  
I introduced her to my darling  
And while they were dancing  
My friend stole my sweetheart from me

I remember the night  
And the Tennessee waltz  
I know now just what I have lost  
Yes I lost my little darling  
The night they were playing  
The beautiful Tennessee waltz

I remember the night  
And the Tennessee waltz  
I know now just what I have lost  
Yes I lost my little darling  
The night they were playing  
The beautiful Tennessee waltz  
Oh the beautiful Tennessee waltz."

When the song came to an end, she got a small round of applause from some of the others, but it silenced after Caitlin angrily climbed back onto her treadmill.

"Take note of how it's done girls."

High fiving Issy, she threw her head back and smirked at Caitlin.

They continued running for another hour. It was just Caitlin and Issy left; everyone had dropped out at least ten minutes ago. Caitlin was starting to struggle as she got more out of breath. Trent had been pushing them nonstop for the last fifteen minutes. Issy hadn't taken a break yet and the others couldn't believe what they were watching. Some had guessed that she was one of the originals. They'd seen the way Trent moved and performed, and she was better than him.

Nearing the end of a song, Caitlin collapsed, rolling off the back of the treadmill. She lay panting on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"And we have a winner."

Trey clapped his hands together before high fiving Issy. As she started to slow her treadmill, Trent held a hand-out to Caitlin. She took it cautiously and he helped her up.

"I was expecting all of you to push yourselves just as much as Caitlin did. Some of you are slacking. Those who didn't make it more than fifteen minutes before tapping out will have extra training sessions every morning for the next month."

There were a few groans from those who were well aware that they'd be in that class. Issy climbed down from the treadmill, taking a swig from her water.

"I knew none of you'd be able to keep up with our new recruit. The point of this exercise was to prove to me, that you were all committed. You all should be ready to be sent out on missions now. But only Caitlin is proving herself. I've noticed that a few changes have been needed around here. Which is why we have a new recruit. Everyone, this is recruit X1-28."

Those who hadn't pieced together who she was gaped at her. There was a knock on the heavy metal door before it was pushed open. Max stepped in with a guard behind him.

"Victoria wants to talk to X1-28 before her next class."

"Vicky misses me already? Oh, how sweet. I guess I shouldn't keep her waiting."

The very corners of Trey's lips twitched, and he clapped his hand onto Issy's shoulder.

"Go. I'll see you for our session later X1-28."

"Love ya Trey."

She sauntered from the room, following Max through the dark corridors, back to Victoria's office.


	14. Classes

**Classes**

_Third Person_

_29th January_

The door to Victoria's office was pushed open, and Issy's footing almost faltered; almost. Standing behind Victoria, leaning against the cabinet was Sebastian. It wasn't often that Sebastian would grace anyone with his presence. He was always the one behind closed doors, watching from afar. Issy knew he had been observing her, he always was. But she hadn't seen him since arriving. Whatever was going on, it was important enough to include her. And that meant she'd gained their trust, even just a little bit.

"Take a seat Isabella."

Slowly sitting across from the desk, she placed her elbows to the arms of her chair and laced her fingers together in front of her.

"How did your training session go, Isabella?"

Raising her eyebrow, she tilted her head to the side.

"I think we all know it went well."

"For you, yes. Sebastian and I have been discussing the other recruits and none of them are at the expected level. We want you to report back to me at the end of every class about each recruit. Their strengths, weaknesses and attitudes. Everything and anything, you tell me."

"And what do I get for doing your dirty work?"

"You'll get more privileges. Books, warm showers, and longer breaks."

"And if I say no."

"You won't say no, Isabella."

She tilted her head back, staring straight into Sebastian's eyes. Shaking her head, she crossed one knee over the other. She'd learnt the hard way that you don't grass on your fellow recruits. But Issy had no allegiances to the other girls. They weren't like her. They didn't know what it was really like.

"Caitlin is promising, but she has an entitlement. She's had no challenge from the other girls, so she assumes she's the best. Give me a week with her, and she'll know what this all means. Sophie is lacking in all physical attributes and confidence. Ciara is too terrified to function effectively. I'm guessing she has been targeted more than the others."

"She originally showed the most potential."

"You've knocked it out of her then. You guys never learn. I'll work on her. The others are all mediocre. Give me a couple more classes and I'll figure them all out."

"You'll have a new stack of books waiting in your room at the end of the day."

"And a guitar."

"You'll get a guitar when you give us something we can work with."

"Dean will return you to your room now. You'll be taken along to your first class soon enough."

"Good chat, Vicky. And it was nice to see you too, Sebastian. You're looking good."

Issy stood as the door opened, Dean waiting for her. She was escorted back to her room of solitude. Sitting herself on the metal bed, she stared at the closed door, waiting patiently.

Counting 36 minutes and 19 seconds, the door then opened again. Part of their training had been to learn how to exactly count out time, having it instilled in them through several torturous classes. There was no doubt how long Issy had sat there. She'd always be aware of time passing, at least when she was conscious.

She was led through the facility's cold hallways; unfamiliar doors being opened. And yet, the final door opened for her led her into the familiar workshop. There were five rows of worktops, two long worktops in each row. Down the middle of the room was a clear walkway. Memories of her teachers prowling up and down came to the forefront of her mind. At the front of the room was another worktop and a whiteboard pinned to the wall. The rest of the concrete walls were blank, no windows. Light came from the bright lights in the ceiling above.

There were already nine girls standing behind their worktops, waiting for something to happen. Whilst each had been in similar classes before, they'd never been grouped together. But after the morning's treadmill session, they knew things were changing. They didn't know whether that was a good thing or not though.

Issy had been let in the door at the back, letting her see who her classmates were before they saw her. Caitlin, Sophie and Ciara had been singled out of the large class, another six she recognised from the core class being picked also. These were the ones she had to work on. These were the priority.

Lifting her head high, she strode down the middle of the room, taking her place at the worktop across from Caitlin's. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, Caitlin glaring at her. Tossing her ponytail, she smiled round at Caitlin, then winked.

"Bombs. Important to know how to create, and how to diffuse."

Their instructor stalked into the room, a line of men behind him carrying a tray of equipment each. They placed a tray to each worktop, leaving immediately after. Issy glanced across it, knowing what they were about to do. Some of the other recruits had guessed what their task would be. They'd done the theory and basic practises.

"These are all supplies that can be used in the design of an effective bomb. As the world progresses, technology is getting smaller. You will each create a handheld explosive device and then diffuse it. All the dangerous explosives have been removed. But a pack of coloured powder is in its place. Trigger an explosion and you fail. Not all of the supplies have to be used. Once you have assembled a working bomb, raise your hand and I will come over and check it. You will then deactivate it without taking it apart entirely. Some pieces may be removed if necessary. You have one hour. Your time starts now."

Issy knew that it would take her at least twenty minutes to complete the task. She suspected it would take the likes of Caitlin close to fifty minutes and the rest would cut it fine at the sixty-minute mark. If they completed it at all.

Sixteen minutes and forty-two seconds in, Issy held her hand up. The instructor came over to her, a little cautious. They had all had experience of her painful ability. She had left some of her instructors crippled on the floor in the past.

Checking over the petite mechanism she'd created, he walked away not saying a word. This was a sign that it was perfect. Another five minutes and fifty-five seconds later, she'd tossed the neutralised bomb across the room, the instructor catching it. All eyes, that had been focused on their own work, looked up at the sudden movement, shock taking over before they began furiously working away again. Hopping up onto her worktop, Issy watched the recruits, analysing each in turn. When she got to Caitlin, she smirked at her. Her pack of pink powder exploded in her face, making some of the other recruits jump. Caitlin looked up pure anger spread across her face.

"Caitlin, sit down, you've failed this task."

"But…"

"Fail!"

In rage, she sat onto her stool, glaring at Issy. Little did she know that it was Issy that had caused the pack to explode. Having formed a dislike for Caitlin, she wanted to see how far she could push her before the instructors got involved.

When forty minutes had passed, Issy jumped down from the countertop and leaned onto Ciara's, who was situated behind her.

"The glue is redundant. If you wrap the excess wire around instead, you don't need to wait for it to dry. You'll save a lot of time."

She looked up at Issy, confused, but did as she said. Proceeding around the rest of the class, she gave them advice on how to finish their already half completed work. The instructor couldn't say anything, he'd been told to expect X1-28's involvement and to allow it. Each of the girls listened gratefully, knowing they wouldn't finish without her help. Caitlin was fuming. Back at her worktop, Issy placed her elbows to it, counting down the last thirty seconds. And just as the timer hit zero, the instructor okayed the final girls' defused bomb. All had passed, apart from Caitlin.

"Well done class, although I don't doubt that you all would have failed if not for the assistance of X1-28. I expect independent work completed next time. And Caitlin, fail again, and I shall have to report your poor efforts."

"It wasn't my fault though. I wasn't even touching the pack."

The instructor ignored her cries, knowing exactly what had happened. Issy was smirking, her eyes meeting the instructor's for a brief moment. She used to enjoy having some fun with her fellow Novum X recruits in classes. Her individual ability often meant it was hard to prove it was her. The high likely hood of the pack exploding on its own allowed her to easily get away with it. And that's exactly why she continued to have fun. Even though she wasn't allowed to use her ability around the other recruits, she wanted to see how far she could push the instructors before she was punished for using them.

Not wanting to push her luck too far the first day, she stayed quiet in the following classes, flying under the radar. The other recruits were confused as to why X1-28 had joined their class. She was obviously miles ahead of the rest of them. But they did enjoy seeing Caitlin knocked from the top spot. She'd always been top of every class and had no competition. And with her being top, everyone else faced punishment for not, at the very least, matching her achievements. X1-28 gave them hope that things were beginning to change. But it also scared them.


	15. With Held

**With Held**

_Third Person_

_8th May 2018_

The FBI had removed themselves from Forks. After a month of nothing but dead leads, they had to return to Seattle. It didn't slow their investigation though. Continuing with the better resources that Head Office held, they had greater access to computer software and personnel. Smaller teams had been sent out to follow each lead they had coming and going. The knowledge that Bella had been involved with a bank robbery during the period of her abduction had been kept quiet from everyone but the teams working on the line of enquiry. With no concrete evidence that she had been a part of the robbery, they didn't want to worry anyone, or jump to conclusions. But it was a solid line of the investigation that they were taking very seriously.

Having returned to work himself, Charlie was finding it difficult getting through each day. The only family he had left was Bella. He had no one else. And the silence from the FBI was playing with his mind. He hadn't heard anything in three weeks. He knew that no news meant the worst hadn't happened. Or at least, they didn't know. No news meant no change. And he hated to think that in the seven months since Bella had been taken, they were no closer to finding her.

With a few days off work, Chief Swan made the long drive into Seattle. After checking into a motel for a night, he went down to the FBI offices. Standing at the reception desk, he asked to see Special Agent Torrode. The receptionist called up to Torrode's assistant.

"I'm sorry, but Agent Torrode is busy today. Can I get your details to schedule in an appointment?"

"I need to see him today. It's about my daughter. Please, I need to know where he's at with the investigation."

"I'm really sorry Sir, but he can't see you today."

"Tell him that Chief Swan is asking for him. He'll see me if you tell him that."

Seeing the defeated eyes of the man before her, she lifted the phone again. A brief conversation occurred before she looked up at him.

"He will see you in a few minutes. If you take a seat, someone will be down to take you up to him."

"Thank you."

Ten minutes of sitting, a woman approached the reception desk. Pointing to Chief Swan, she turned to him.

"Chief Swan?"

"Yes."

"I'll take you up to Special Agent Torrode now."

"Thank you."

"Can you pin this to your jacket?"

He took the visitors pass from her and clipped it on as they started walking.

"Was it a long drive up here?"

"Uh… yeah."

"You could have called in. I'm sure Agent Torrode would have driven down to you."

"It's fine."

They stepped into the glass elevator, going up twelve stories. It wasn't often that Chief Swan was out of the small town he'd lived his life in and in a big city. It was all a little disconcerting for him. Following the woman out of the elevator, he immediately stepped onto the investigation floor. Large monitors were spread across a brick wall, rows of chairs in front and a small podium to the side. Busy desks were grouped in threes to the right of the open room, high tech computers at each and files cluttering most. There was a room made entirely of glass, giving a 360 degree view out of it. To the far right was a line of interview rooms, blinds half open. A corridor led you off to the left. This was where Chief Swan was led. Offices and separate work rooms gave a little more privacy down this end.

Knocking on one of the first offices, with Special Agent Torrode inscribed on the door, the woman pushed it open.

"Chief Swan to see you, Sir."

"Thanks Irene. Come in, Chief."

He moved forward and shook Torrode's outstretched hand.

"Is everything okay? I wasn't expecting a visit from you."

"I… uh, I haven't heard anything in three weeks. I just wanted an update on the case. Have you got anything new?"

"It's a complex case, Charlie. More complex than we first thought."

"I know you can't tell me everything, but I need to know whatever you can tell me."

"Okay. Can you just give me a minute?"

"Sure."

Leaving the room, Torrode went in search of Morossa. He'd need her to help explain certain aspects of the investigation in a sensitive manner. Returning to his office, he pulled another chair over to the end of his desk for Morossa.

"Charlie, this is Agent Carla Morossa. She's been helping with the case in terms of character profiling."

He shook her hand before she sat.

"Charlie, I want to start by saying that there are many aspects to this case that have made the investigation incredibly difficult. But everyone has been working to the utmost of their ability."

"What sort of things? Bella was abducted in front of hundreds of witnesses. Surely you have something?"

"We have multiple lines of enquiry that we're looking into. I know we had hinted to you before that Bella was potentially prepared for something like this to happen. Within the first few weeks of her being taken, we knew that she was prepared for this. We spoke to you on a couple different occasions about her ability to use weapons. You, along with her friends, denied any knowledge of her being able to fire a gun or use a knife. Upon our search of her bedroom, we came across a large trunk with multiple weapons. Bella had gathered a small arsenal of government issued guns and combat knives. Along with the weapons, we retrieved a laptop. Usually a highly protected laptop may take a week or so for our team to get into it. Unfortunately, Bella has protected it far better than anything anyone has seen. Two months ago, we sent it off to specialists in Homeland Security who deal only with computers. They have been just as unsuccessful as us. No one has seen anything like it before. Only Bella knows how to access it."

"You think Bella was trained for something."

"We do. And we think there's more."

"What?"

Torrode turned to Morossa.

"We're aware that Bella was conceived through IVF treatment."

"Yes. So?"

"We believe that either during the treatment, or when she was taken, a doctor was experimenting with genetics."

Shocked, Charlie stared at Agent Morossa.

"What? Bella's normal though. There's nothing wrong with her. And the IVF was all normal. It was a routine procedure."

"We're not saying anything is wrong with Bella. Not in the slightest. But we do believe that she is different. We have evidence to suggest that she has unique abilities not yet discovered."

"I don't understand. I saw nothing different about her. She's just a girl."

"I'm afraid she's anything but a girl, Charlie. From the very beginning we were confused as to why anyone would abduct a young child from such a small town. It draws so much attention. But the more we've looked into it, the more we think that small towns are being targeted. Bella was not the only child to be conceived through IVF and abducted aged 3 or 4. So far, we have three others that we are certain were kidnapped at a young age and returned to their homes within two days of Bella. Unfortunately, each of the three are dead. Whilst all cases opened on their deaths eventually ruled accidental, we do not agree. We think that the people behind this attempted to abduct them again. Whatever happened, they ended up dead."

"But not Bella. Why didn't they just shoot her? When she had the upper hand, why didn't they just kill her like they did with the other three?"

"Either they knew they would be able to use you against her, or they need her."

"Need her?"

"Yes, Charlie. We've not got much evidence, but we've discovered that Bella may have been involved in numerous crimes when she was abducted."

"When Torrode first mentioned Bella's potential abilities to us, I remembered a case study that I'd looked at. A friend had worked on a bank robbery case. But there were unusual factors that never made sense. A woman and two girls were seen entering the bank, the two girls were out of sight of CCTV for a period of thirty minutes. One of the girls was seen leaving with the woman, the other wasn't seen leaving at all. Just twenty minutes later, the girl was next seen on CCTV of the local train station entering the women's bathroom. She never left."

"So she climbed out of the window?"

"The bathrooms had no windows."

"Then how?"

"We are working with the theory that these children have different abilities which allow them to do what is otherwise impossible. Like teleportation."

Staring at them both wide eyed, Charlie didn't know what to say. This sort of thing didn't happen outside of fiction. It couldn't. Clearing his throat, he leaned forward in his chair.

"What does this have to do with Bella?"

Morossa lifted out the still of the woman and two girls entering the bank. Holding it out to Charlie, she waited for him to take it. His eyes watered as he stared down at his daughter's young face.

"When…? When was this taken?"

"2010. Bella would have been 10 at the time."

"So she wasn't held captive the entire time. She could have run away, she could have shouted for help."

"Possibly. I'm certain there is a perfectly good reason she didn't though. Maybe if she did, this girl, or one of the others would have been punished. At this point Bella had been living with these people for nearly seven years. That is enough time to instil threats and fear."

"How much… how much was taken?"

"The entirety of the vault was emptied. It was valued at $100,000."

"And there was no evidence?"

"No. The door mechanism didn't even register it being opened."

"If what you're saying is true. If this girl can teleport, why would they go for such a small bank? She could get into a bigger vault that would hold a lot more money."

"We don't know why. Bella may not have had anything to do with the robbery. But the coincidence is too great to ignore it. At the very least, it's a positive sighting of Bella during the period she was first abducted."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"It's something we are keeping relatively quiet. The other girl involved may be safe at the moment. We are searching for her to question her. Until we find her and ensure her safety, we cannot let this news get out. If certain people know we are looking for her, they may get to her first."

"Who's the woman?"

"She was Samantha Collings. A wealthy CEO who owned several international companies in a few various industries. Unfortunately, she was found murdered in her home in Florida two years ago. Ironically, it was a robbery gone wrong. Over $2 million reported stolen."

"Do you have any idea who the girl is?"

"At the minute, no. There are certain parameters we are looking into. We can assume she was kidnapped within a year of Bella either side. We are also assuming she returned home within days of Bella. A commonality in the children we have identified so far is that they each have a tattoo identical to Bella."

"Was it a way of marking them?"

"No. They didn't have the tattoo in the footage at the bank. We suspect they gave it to themselves after escaping. A way of staying connected."

"How many other children do you think there was?"

"If Bella's back tattoo is anything to go by, we think 19 others. Edward had said that for a few years four of the hearts were crossed out. We are guessing those four died either when they were gone or escaping. Then in the last years, Edward noticed that three more were crossed out. Based on the loose time frames Edward provided us with, we know that Bella adapted the tattoo because of the deaths of Chris, Ashley and Austin, the third boy identified to have a connection."

"We are doing everything we can to seek out the remaining twelve people connected to all of this. The problem is their intelligence. We know Bella was smarter than she portrayed herself to be. The others would have had a similar intelligence, therefore, hiding themselves well. From their captors as well as us."

"But if Bella knew they were going to come back for her, why wouldn't she leave clues where to find her?"

"She doesn't want to be found. We didn't want to mention this before, but we discovered a note when searching Edward Cullen's bedroom. As you know, Bella hide items reasonably well. She didn't hide as much in the Cullen residence as she did at home, but she did have a go bag prepared with clothes, several false passports, cash, and a gun. After emptying the content of the bag, we found a note. It was written by Bella."

Handing over a copy of the note, they allowed Charlie to read over it a few times.

"Did you put her stuff back?"

"You know we can't do that, Charlie."

"What if she comes back and needs it to defend herself? What's she supposed to do then?"

"We cannot leave military grade weapons lying about two domestic residences. It's not only dangerous to the inhabitants but the rest of the locals too."

"If Bella does come back and need help, she should turn to us. We can keep her safe."

"Whilst you're here, Charlie, I actually have been meaning to call. I had a question regarding Bella's fingerprints."

"She doesn't have any."

"You know."

"I should have said before. I didn't really think about it."

"Do you know why she doesn't?"

"No. I asked her a few times, but she would never talk about it. I had only noticed when she was about 15. The tips of her fingers were always raw, the skin blistered. But she never showed any pain. I talked to Renee about it. She said she'd speak to Bella about it. I didn't hear anything again though. If the people that took Bella burnt her fingertips off her so she left no prints behind, the skin would have healed over again by now. So, has she been continuing to burn her fingers?"

"If our theory that these children have unique abilities, we think we have identified what Bella's is."

"We suspect she is a pyrokinetic. Which means she can control fire. If that is true, she may not purposefully have been burning her fingers. It may be a result of her ability."

Chief Swan nodded his head, trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just been told.

"What happens next? I mean, if she really is different, and comes back, people will want to experiment on her."

"Which is why we are keeping that aspect of the investigation quiet. If the world became aware of these children, they will never have the chance at a normal life. And Bella has proved she can lead a normal life."

"I can give you a case file on what evidence we have to suggest this so far. You can give it a read and if you have any other questions, you just have to give me a call. I'm sorry you had to drive all this way. I will make a note to update you on the case at the end of every week, even if we don't have anything new."

"Thank you."

"Do you have more questions for us now?"

"No. I think I need to think about all this first. I'm staying in a Motel tonight. Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'll have Irene setup an appointment for you tomorrow."

They all stood up, Chief Swan shaking both their hands. With a meeting set up for the next morning and a file in hand, Chief Swan walked from the building, his mind spiralling with the new information he'd been given.


	16. Briefing

**Briefing**

_Bella's POV_

_8th May 2018_

I'd been here more than six months. Six months of this torturous life. And in those six months I'd earnt a lot of trust. But not enough to put me back on missions. A part of me was glad. The guilt of my past missions still haunts me. Not going on missions meant staying underground though. Every day is the same thing. Training, Classes, more training and sleep. At least on missions I get to be outside.

The facility wasn't all bad though. And now that I had books and music to keep myself entertained in my room, I had small enjoyments in this life. I'd been pushed hard to give them my observations on the other recruits. In watching them, I'd grown to like Caitlin. I'd never let her know that though. But she reminded me of myself in some ways. Ciara had flourished. The hours of classes I'd had with her allowed me to see the potential Sebastian had seen. She had a natural athletic ability and deep intelligence which allowed her to learn new things quickly. With increased confidence, she had been gaining ground on Caitlin. The rest of the recruits not far behind her.

Most of the time I'd kept my head down. But it was too much fun not to. Every few days I'd use my ability to change things up in classes. I had to be careful. I didn't want the other girls being punished because of me. They caused that all on their own. I needed some fun though. This life is boring otherwise.

Max was escorting me to my daily meeting with Victoria. But we weren't going to her office. Instead, he was leading me down to the briefing rooms. A mission. I guess it's that time again.

"Putting me back out there again, are they? It's about time."

Not responding to me, Max at least looked round at me, smirking. So something was going on. More than just me going back on a mission. He keyed in the code for the door, not bothering to hide it from me. I'd have figured it out just by the sound. The heavy silver door slid open, revealing the briefing room. You'd think it would be an open office space, with cabinets and desks everywhere. It was more like a boutique's parlour. There were two cushy loungers in the middle of the room, a glass table between them. The walls on either side were lined with racks of clothes, one side holding sexy evening outfits, the other more practical clothes. Below each rack was a line of shoes, matching the outfits above. Victoria was stood by the couches, a beige file in hand. Walking into the room, the door slid shut behind me, Max leaving me to it.

"You have a mission for me."

"For us."

Trey appeared from a side door. He'd been gone the last few days. I had assumed on a mission.

"It's a trial. To prove your loyalty. If all goes well, you'll be sent out more regularly."

Having come over to me, Trey pulled me in for a hug, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"I look forward to it."

The three of us sat, Victoria passing the file over to me. I opened it up, my eyes quickly scanning through it.

"We have a high value target. Trent has been laying the groundwork for the assignment these last few days. All we need from you is the final piece. There's a fundraiser that the target shall be attending tomorrow night. You will attend as a couple. At some point in the night you'll separate. Isabella, you will approach the target and find a way of having him invite you back to his room. I'm sure that will be easy enough. He enjoys women's company."

"Natural?"

Flicking through the file, I took most of it in instantly. It didn't seem like it would be difficult. One of those get in, get out sort of ones. With a little fun before.

"Doesn't have to be. Whatever you want to go for will do. Have some fun."

"What if his wife is with him?"

"We've already taken care of that. She'll be at home enjoying the night herself."

"And if he has a woman with him, I will intercede myself. But whilst you are with the target, I will be in the room directly below. I've already set up my computers and tapped into the CCTV. When you get in the elevator, I will loop the footage, so you aren't seen going to the targets room. All I need is footage of you walking along our hallway so that it isn't questioned when you are seen leaving with me."

"So, I'm supposed to scale down from the balcony of 902 to 802."

"Yes. We'll then leave the hotel together and disappear."

"Learn the background and the play. It will be a busy fundraiser so it will mostly be improvised. But there's the basic time frames."

"I'm guessing it's time to get dressed."

"I have a couple choices for you. But ultimately, it is your decision. You are old enough to make your own decisions now."

"You spoil me Victoria."

She stood up and went over to the keypad on the back wall. This was always exciting. The entire wall lifted up, revealing three mannequins and a treasure trove of weapons. The first mannequin had a blood red, off the shoulder dress. It went down just below the knees a slit up the front of the left thigh. It was skin-tight, but I could hide a few weapons underneath it. The next dress was a short-sleeved peach dress. There was a plummeting neckline, showing a lot of cleavage. Its length would reach my ankles, but the long slit up the left side kept it very open. Very different to the first two, the third was a navy blue, long-sleeved, backless dress. It was short, shorter than the first. Being the most revealing, it would show off my long legs and toned thighs. Especially with the matching open stilettos.

Victoria unzipped the red dress and held it out to me.

"We'll wait."

Taking it from her, I stepped behind the white folding screen. Stripping naked, I pulled the dress on. It felt good. I might hate what I've had to do with my body, but I know how to appreciate what I've got. And damn I was sexy. Stepping out from behind the screen, I lifted my ponytail. Victoria came over, zipping up the back of my dress.

"You're not a little girl anymore Isabella."

"Like you ever thought I was."

I looked over to Trey, who was leaning back on the lounger, one ankle lifted onto his other knee. He was staring down at my legs. Coughing obviously, he caught my eyes.

"Up here Trey."

"What can I say, Issy? You're sexy."

Victoria handed me a pair of red heels. Holding onto her arm, I slipped them on, growing in height. I then took the clutch bag from her hand. Giving them a twirl, I laughed at Trey's expression.

"You look like you've never seen a woman before, Trey."

"If you hadn't noticed, there aren't many around here, Issy."

"If possible, you'll need to have a gun of sorts on your body. A knife would do if it has to."

"Nah, I could get a little pistol strapped to my thigh."

Lifting one of the holster bands, I tied it around my thigh, pulling it up as high as it could go. I picked out the smallest gun on the shelf, slipping it in. After pushing the dress back down my legs, I held my hands out, my legs pressed together.

"Good. Now for my favourite."

She lifted down what looked to be a metal nail file. Holding between my fingers, I marvelled at it. Due to its thinness it was extremely light in weight. Anyone who looked at it would assume it a high-end nail file, but one edge was sharp as anything. It could slice through human skin in an instance.

"Keep it in your bag. Just in case."

I slipped it into the silver clutch, tucking it away safely.

"Let's try the blue dress."

Going through the same process with the other two dresses, I was getting a little excited. Before, I'd always been told what I was going to wear. Now I get to enjoy choosing. Just as Victoria had put the gun back on the shelf, her pager buzzed.

"I will be back in a few minutes. Get dressed again Isabella. You'll go for a training session with Trent when we're done here."

She left the room, leaving Trey and I alone. He hadn't moved from the lounger yet, still in the same position as earlier. I turned around, trying to reach the hidden zipper. I heard the shift in the couch before sensing Trey behind me. His hands touched my slim waist causing me to suck in a deep breath. Slowly, his fingers trailed up my sides before finding the zipper. He leaned his head down, his lips brushing against my ear.

"You are beautiful, Issy."

Breathing heavily as he pulled the zipper down, I then quickly moved behind the screen.

"So, what's the target done? Why are they getting us to go after him?"

"An investor has hired us."

"The investors are back?"

Fear ran through me. I pulled my uniform back on quickly and stepped back out from the screen.

"They never really left. They just hired me before. But now that you're ready to go back on missions, they're hiring you too. Eventually, they will be turned to hire the other recruits."

"The investors have been hiring you all these years?"

"Mostly, yes."

"Did Mrs Crothers ever hire you?"

"No, why?"

"No reason."

"Is…"

Before he could say anymore, Victoria came back in the door.

"The file will be left in your room when you've finished training. You won't be attending classes until you've been debriefed after completing the mission. Trent, you'd best get moving."

I followed Trey down to the combat room. The walk was awkwardly silent. I knew why. Trey and I… we'd never been complicated before. He had Ani. But she's gone now. And these last seven months had been just us. There were no others. No one to talk to that understood. It was just us. I knew that we'd have to pretend to be engaged for the mission. That was a given. But why did he have to make it awkward between us?

During the combat session, I let my frustration out. I punched harder, I kicked harder, I threw him further across the room. I could see Trey's confusion in his eyes. He didn't understand. Of course he wouldn't. He hadn't lived a normal life for four years. I'd had everything any of us had dreamed of. I'd had two parents, yes not together, but two parents that loved me. I had an amazing second family who treated me like their own. I had a best friend who didn't care what had happened to me, he never pushed me for answers to the questions I knew he had. And because of Edward, I could never let myself be with anyone else.


	17. Fundraiser Part 1

**Fundraiser Part 1**

_Bella's POV_

_9th May_

Instead of my usual morning routine, I'd been taken directly to the plane hanger above ground. A private jet awaited me and Trent. I didn't know the eventual destination, but it didn't matter. They knew that I'd eventually figure out what city I was in, so the flight was never direct. It could be a one-hour flight, but they'd extend it three or four, just to confuse me. That way I wouldn't know where the facility is. When we landed, we were welcomed into a long black estate car. Going straight to the hotel, I was already in character, having changed on the plane. That was one good thing. I was never Bella or Issy when on a mission. I was always someone else. Making use of our early afternoon arrival, Trey and I scouted the place out, identifying exits, cameras and staff.

After an hour of last-minute run throughs, I fixed my earpiece in. Trey and I made our way down to the elevator.

"Comms check."

"Shelby ready to go."

"Dr Grey arriving in three, two, one."

The doors of the elevator pinged open.

"Ready?"

"Always."

I took Trey's outstretched arm and he led me into the lobby.

"Okay. Keep it clean. This is a first trial, Isabella. We want to be able to use you in the future."

Max was sitting back in the facility, running the operation from there. He could see everything on the hotel's CCTV cameras.

We followed the signs to the ballroom, lifting glasses of champagne as we were greeted at the door.

"Good evening. Names?"

"Dr Daniel Grey. And this is my wife Shelby."

"Welcome Dr Grey. Please enjoy the evening."

Strutting into the ballroom, both our eyes scanned from corner to corner.

"Target spotted. Centre table, 9 o'clock."

"Approach in 84 mins. He'll be wanting his next fix then."

"Understood."

I took a sip of the champagne. I didn't need to be drinking much, they don't affect us in the same way to other people, but I could act drunk seamlessly.

We casually made our way around the room, speaking with different doctors invited to the event. It was only 12 minutes after arriving that I realised why I had been picked for this mission. Dr Carlisle Cullen and his wife walked into the room. I wasn't needed for my specific skills; it was a test.

Turning away from the doors, I eyed Trey. He was avoiding eye contact though. He knew. He knew they'd be here. Stalking away from him and towards a waiter, I lifted another glass of champagne. After finishing the conversation he was in the middle of, he came over to me. I watched as he pulled out his earpiece, causing static in mine. With them both safely clutched in our hands, silenced, I let my anger out, quietly.

"Fuck you Trey!"

"I couldn't tell you. Don't tell me you wouldn't have planned something if you knew."

Glaring, I started heating his hands. He grabbed my wrist tightly, squeezing it with his strength.

"Stop. This is your test. Prove yourself. You know what will happen if you don't."

I shook his hand off my arm and straightened up.

"You want my trust? You earn it Trey. I know how things work. But you have no idea what they mean to me. I won't try anything. I'm not stupid. But you should have prepared me for this."

"I'm sorry Is. I wish I could…"

Placing my earpiece back in, I didn't want to hear his excuses or explanations.

"Agent 1-23! What's your status? Report back Agents! Come…"

"We're here Max. Someone must have a device that blocks our comms, on them."

"Can you identify them?"

"There are too many people."

"If it happens again, I'll get to my laptop and block all devices. It will draw attention though."

"No. You're leaving that place with no suspicions. No one can know you're there."

"We'll keep an eye out if it happens again."

Dr Alfred Misner, host of the evening, stepped up onto the small stage, standing at the podium.

"Good evening everyone."

The room silenced, everyone turning to him.

"Refocus. Where is the target now?"

"Eleven o'clock. Front left corner. Beside the stage."

I watched him closely, confused by his behaviour.

"You said there was no deal tonight?"

"No. Nothing our contact mentioned."

"Why?"

"He keeps checking his phone. And his body temperature is raised. He's on his third drink since we arrived. He's anxious. He's waiting for something."

"Our contact revealed nothing about anything going down tonight."

"Something is off with him. Either he's just run a marathon, or something is going down tonight."

"Enjoy the evening, and please, open your cheque books for tonight's charity fundraiser."

"Max get on to the contact. Isabella is right. Something is off."

"Okay. Keep to the plan. I'll notify you if something changes."

Everyone at the party had returned to mingling. I scanned the room, pinpointing the Cullens location. I wanted to avoid them at all costs. Holding onto Trey's arm, he led me over to a guest. Whilst he engaged in conversation, I played my part of giggling and flirting all the while monitoring the target. I watched as his eyes roamed the room; looking for something. He read a message on his phone before turning from the room.

"Danny, honey, I'm going to use the ladies' room. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Completely unaware of what just occurred, Trey smiled down at me, a glint of confusion in his eyes. Pecking his cheek, I stalked away, following the target.

"Target's on the move. Moving through the lobby."

"Where's Agent 1-23?"

"Busy keeping cover."

"Don't divert from the plan, 1-28. You can't take him now."

"I'm only surveilling. I'll only step in if something happens. We need to know what he's doing."

"Fine. Keep your distance 1-28."

Pushing open the staff service door, I heard two men's voices, deep and croaky. I slipped down the hallway and leaned against the wall.

"…don't have it. We agreed the shipment would be in this afternoon."

"There were complications. I can get it to you Monday."

"Monday isn't good enough. I have clients. I need it tonight."

"I don't have it tonight."

"What am I supposed to tell my clients?"

"Nothing. They aren't your concerns anymore."

There was a new set of footsteps and the unknown man started shouting.

"What? Who is that? What… What are you doing? Patrick… Patrick, what's going on? Stop… Stop!"

I heard the soft click of a silencer and a body hit the ground. Grabbing the pistol tied to my thigh, I gripped it tightly.

"One less to deal with. Clean up. I have a party to enjoy."

A quick glance around the corner told me all I needed to know. Dashing back down the corridor and out the door, I slipped away unseen.

"We have a Doe. Dr John Faris I believe. Deal gone bad. The target has a man inside the hotel, cleaning up. How did your contact not know about this?"

"We're looking into it. Where's the target now?"

"Headed back to the party."

"I'm by the door, 1-28. The mission can go ahead as planned. I'll track the cleaner once I get upstairs."

Entering the ballroom again, I immediately took Trey's arm. He led me off to the left just as the target re-entered.

"Max, the cleaner has a tattoo of a windmill on the inside of his forearm. From wrist to elbow. See if you can get a name."

"Anything else?"

"Tall, 6"1. Black hair. Caucasian. Scar on the right side of his neck."

"Got him. Carlos Diego. 34. Used to be associated with the Boston crime family. Disappeared six years ago."

"Do you want us to take him out? We have time."

"No. Leave him. There'll be too much attention tomorrow. Keep it clean."

I watched, out of the corner of my eye, as Esme and Carlisle made a beeline for us. I'd seen them interacting with just a few so far, mostly keeping to themselves. But I had noticed Carlisle handing over a cheque to Alfred earlier in the evening, which had made him smile. That's the Carlisle I knew, always too generous.

I tried to move Trey away, but he held his ground. Again, not looking at me. He was doing this on purpose. Another test.

"Dr Grey?"

"Yes. And you must be the famous Dr Cullen. I've read about your work in New York. Quite the forward thinker."

"Thank you. This is my wife, Esme."

Trey held his hand out and shook both their hands. Whilst Esme looked to him when their hands touched, her eyes were trained on me.

"Hi, I'm Shelby."

"My fiancé."

"Congratulations."

"I've been waiting for this man to propose for years. All it took was a ring slipped into his jacket before he got the idea. Seriously, sometimes I don't know how men operate without us women."

I watched Esme's eyes darken in sadness. But I could see that a part of her recognised me. How, I wouldn't know. My grey contacts and blonde wig were enough to fool even the perceptive of people.

"I wanted to ask you of your latest report on the human psyche. A fascinating read."

"Of course. It was a fun study into the workings of the brain. Watching the brain activity in children compared to adults whilst presented with the same hypothetical scenarios really gave a new insight into different ways of thinking. Did you have a specific question, Dr Cullen?"

"I was merely curious as to how you presented the scenarios to the children. I have previously attempted to work with children myself. Not my forte. And as much as I enjoy it, keeping them focused and understanding what it is I am saying is really rather difficult."

"Yes, they do present a challenge don't they. I had a team of graphic designers create an animation to play out each scenario, with no inappropriate images, of course. They were played for both children and adults, and it was the adults that responded most physically to them."

"Curious isn't it…"

Our eyes turned to Esme.

"…The way a child's mind works. So understanding to the world around, yet oblivious at the same time. Do you have children?"

"Us? Oh, no. Most definitely not. We don't want children. Not for another few years at least. I am not ready to give up my life yet."

"You do not have to give up your life if you have a baby. Children give a new meaning to life."

"You have children?"

"Yes. We've five adopted. They're all teenagers now though. Nearly adults themselves."

"Such a responsibility. On top of a successful medical career too."

"I wouldn't be able to do it all if it wasn't for my wife. She is the glue to our family. Holds us all together."

Esme leaned in and pecked his cheek. I wanted to jump into their arms and hug them so tightly that they'd stop breathing. I wanted to shout that everything was going to be okay and that I was okay. I could see the depression in their eyes. A part of me felt better knowing that they missed me, that they hadn't moved on with their lives completely. But I mostly felt guilt. Guilt that I had allowed myself to get so close to them, knowing that I would end up leaving at some point.

"Someone once told me that the hardest, most under paid job in the world is the position of a Mother."

A light shone in Esme's eyes as she stared at me, her hand squeezing Carlisle's just a little tighter.

"One day I hope to be a wonderful Mother, but I'm young, I have a great body, and I want to enjoy it. I mean, you only live one life. You have to enjoy every minute of it whilst you can. Soon enough we're going to be as old and useless as most of these men in the room."

"5 minutes. Wrap it up and get moving Agent 1-23."

I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay here and talk with Esme and Carlisle forever, even if I wasn't Bella.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to use the ladies. I won't be long."

Walking off, I hurried to the bathrooms. As I was touching up my lipstick, the door swung open. Esme came in. Lifting my earpiece out quickly, I clutched it in my hand. With no one around, she wasn't going to hold back. And if anyone knew she had any suspicion as to who I was, she'd be dead by the morning.

"Bella? Bella, please tell me it's you?"

"I'm sorry, Esme. My name is Shelby. I don't know any Bella."

"If that man is hurting you, forcing you to do anything, just give me a sign. I can help. You don't have to be scared anymore."

"I really am sorry. But I don't know what you're talking about. I love Danny. He would never do anything to hurt me."

Stalking out of the bathroom, I held back the tears as I said goodbye to any chance of making an escape. With my earpiece back in, I shook my hair out behind me. Trey had gone. This next bit was up to me.

"1-28, target is locked. Begin approach."

I made my way over to the target and stumbled as I neared. Falling into his side, I knocked the glass of whiskey out of his hand.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I don't know what happened."

Righting myself, I stared down at the broken glass and spilt liquid. Flipping my hair over my shoulder as I looked up, I gazed up at him. His eyes were raking up and down my body, appreciating what he was seeing, and no doubt undressing me.

"Don't be worrying about it little darling. Accidents happen."

"I don't know what came over me, one minute I was walking, the next I was falling. Let me get you another drink."

"In no world should a pretty lady be getting the drinks, even if they are free."

"Why thank you. I'm glad someone thinks so."

I rolled my eyes and brushed my fringe out of my face.

"I'm sorry someone doesn't."

"That's my fiancé. Never does anything for himself."

"Your fiancé?"

"Dr Grey. He's around here somewhere. I'd managed to escape to the ladies' room for a break from his constant talking."

"I saw you with him earlier in the evening. Bored out of your mind you looked."

"At least you saw it. I only come to these things for the free drinks."

"I'm ready when you are 1-28. Get him upstairs."

Clearing my throat, I tilted my head to the side slightly.

"If only there was some real entertainment around here, people might actually enjoy themselves. I swear, I've not been to a party and had fun in a long time."

"I know how to have some fun. Why don't you join me in my room for a little while? I can have a bottle of something sent up, and we could make the night more interesting."

"You know what, Doctor. I think I'll take you up on that offer. I could do with a break from my fiancé."

Holding his arm out to me, I wrapped my hand around it. He walked me out to the lobby and to the elevators.

"Camera circuits have all been looped from a static twenty-minute period earlier today."

We got out of the elevator on the ninth floor and proceeded down the hallway. The doctor lifted out his key card, letting us into his suite.

"What would you like sent up, doll?"

"Honestly, I think I could do with something a little stronger than a drink."

"Whiskey? Vodka?"

"I'm not really interested in liquids. If you know what I mean."

He eyed me suspiciously for a moment as I sat back on the plush couch. I lifted one leg over the other, giving him a brief glance between my legs, my gun safely tucked away.

"Why don't you put some music on and come sit here?"

"I think I know just the fun you're looking for."

He went over to the speaker and plugged his phone in, putting on some quiet music. He then opened the top drawer and lifted out a little black toiletry bag. Sitting beside me, his hand touched my knee and his thumb stroked circles on the inside.

"Your fiancé?"

"Doesn't have to know. I want to have fun."

Opening the bag, he lifted out a tiny, clear bag with a white powder inside.

"What sort of stuff is it?"

"The good kind. One hit of this will do you hours. You won't care about the dull party downstairs anymore doll."

"Why don't you set it up? And I'll get out of this dress. As sexy as it is, it's so uncomfortable."

I stood and made my way around the table, heading for the large bedroom doors.

"You don't have to be going anywhere. You can take it off right here."

"Less intrigue though, isn't there?"

He grinned as I opened both doors and backed away from him. Quickly sliding out of the dress, I placed my concealed pistol down on the bed. I wouldn't be needing it for this. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I heard him take a sniff of the coke laid out on the table.

"We are go 1-28."

"You ready?"

"And waiting."

Opening the doors slightly, I placed one foot out, my long leg on full display. I heard him sit back on the couch, getting comfortable. Spinning around the door, I leaned my back against the narrow edge, one leg lifted up onto it.

"You are one sexy woman."

"Why thank you."

"Ready to have some fun."

I stalked over to him, my eyes trained on him like the prey he was. Climbing onto his lap, I ran my hands up his chest. His grabbed my thighs, pulling me over his hard crotch.

"Don't you want to have some snow first?"

"Maybe in a minute. I'm enjoying myself right here."

Leaning forwards, I pulled the shell of his ear between my teeth. He groaned loudly, his hands rocking me over himself.

"This is everything you deserve."

My hands slid up to his neck, grasping it tightly. The passion dissipated in an instant, pure fear taking over him. With his body trapped underneath my burning hot one, I glared down at him, a fire blazing in my eyes. All the anger I'd kept within me the last few months came pouring out and into my hands.

He was struggling for breath, his hands trying to pull me off him, but I was stronger than him. I didn't relish in the fear in his eyes, something I would have done before. All I could think about was Carlisle and Esme down in the ballroom. Well, I'd hoped they'd have left by now.

Within two minutes, the target lay limp below me. Dead. I slowly climbed off him, staring at my handywork.

"Target terminated."

"Good work 1-28. Begin the extraction process."

This was it. This was the mission over. It was a success. So why didn't I feel good about that?


	18. Fundraiser Part 2

**Fundraiser Part 2**

_Esme's POV_

_9th May_

"Carlisle, honey, we need to go."

"I know."

My handsome husband stepped out of the bathroom, looking dapper as always. I'd never really enjoyed these events. Neither did he, but we both liked dressing up, having a break from our family. But everything was different now. We didn't have a happy family to return to. We weren't complete without Bella. Edward had been heartbroken ever since she was taken. Alice was miserable, barely functioning through the day. Rose and Emmett tried to comfort them, but there was only so well they could distract them. And I could see them suffering themselves. The biggest surprise was Jasper. He'd joined our family last and had never been particularly close to Bella. But he had changed the most. I'd heard him up late at night, seen him in the living room typing away on his laptop. Whenever someone would enter the room, he would close it and walk out. Before, he would hardly need to use his phone to call people, but I'd heard him quietly whispering to someone a few different times. I was worried about him.

"Are you okay dear?"

"I'm fine."

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm just worried about the kids."

"I know. So am I. We'll be home soon enough."

"Why would anyone take Bella? Who could do that to such a sweet girl?"

"I don't know, dear. It's been seven months though. We have to assume she's not coming back. I want to hold onto hope, because that's all we have, but we have to start preparing Edward and Alice for the fact she may never come back."

"We'll talk to them both when we get home. As much as I hate it, you are right. We can have hope, but we can't be delusional. Last time it took ten years for Bella to return. She's not just going to turn up tomorrow."

Pecking my forehead, Carlisle held me for a minute. It was the embrace I needed to carry on with the evening.

Our Uber pulled up outside the hotel ten minutes late. We never liked being early. The later we were, the less mingling we would have to do. And neither of us were in the mood to put on a smile and fake happiness.

Carlisle held his arm out for me, and I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow. We followed the signs through the lobby, round to the ballroom. We gave our names and were waved into the doors. I took a deep breath as we stepped inside, the room filled with people. My husband wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me into his side. He knew I didn't want to be here. He'd said he'd go alone. But I knew he was struggling with Bella's disappearance just as much as I was. I always came with him when I wasn't needed at home. Mostly to keep him company.

We made our way around the edge of the room, speaking very briefly with some of Carlisle's previous colleagues and other doctors who had been intrigued with his work. I couldn't deny that my husband wasn't one of the best doctors out there. I knew he was. And that's why he had to show his face as these events. A few times we'd been busy when we'd received personal invites, and just sent a cheque to the foundation being raised for. Carlisle was so grateful though, for everything he had. Most assume he was handed what he has, but I know him. I know the man behind the doctorate. He'd worked for everything. He'd spent hours slaving away in the library during college. He'd have me cut up a chicken from the store just so he could practise stitching it back up. He'd volunteer for extra shifts at the hospital during his residency. Even when I was close to walking out, he didn't give up. What he can do… the gift he has, I can't stop him from using it. His ability to save lives has to be used. We struggled for a few years, little money to put food on the table, no money to pay the heating bills of our one bed apartment. But we had each other. And whilst I didn't see Carlisle all that much, he'd always find time to send me a text to let me know he was okay. Here we are now. Happily married for almost fifteen years. I don't regret a thing. He's the best thing to happen to my life. And now we get to share our love with five beautiful, healthy children, supporting them in ways neither of us were.

"Esme, dear, we can leave if you want. We don't need to stay. I've showed my face now. We can go."

"No. We'll give it another hour. Alfred hasn't even given his speech yet."

Glancing around the room, I spotted Alfred standing by the little stage, speaking with another guest.

"Why don't we hand him the cheque now? Then, once he's finished, we can slip out."

"Sounds like a plan. Come on. We can go have a quiet night back at the hotel."

Making our way to the front of the ballroom, Alfred smiled across to us. The man he was speaking to walked away as we neared.

"Carlisle, Esme, it's good to see you both again."

"You too, Alfred. How have you been doing?"

"Well."

"And Lyndsey?"

"She's doing well too. The grandkids are driving us both a little crazy though. But what about the two of you? Any news on Bella?"

Having been a mentor for Carlisle when he'd been in his residency in New York, Alfred was like a father figure to us both. We'd both reached out to him when Bella was taken, looking for advice and asking him to keep an ear out for any unidentified females admitted into hospitals. He has connections that Carlisle is still making. We had slight hope that Bella would escape and find her way to a hospital or police station.

"Nothing recently. The FBI are still in town though, still actively searching for anything that could help."

"She's in my families' prayers. And we have hope that she returns soon."

"So do we."

"Thank you, Alfred. The support you have given us is everything we needed in this."

"If there is anything more I can do, you only have to ask, Esme."

"You accepting this cheque would really help us right about now."

Carlisle lifted it out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to him. We both watched him reading the number scrawled out on it, his eyes widening before he shook our hands.

"It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Carlisle, Esme."

"Now that we have something to give back, we want to do what we can. Esme and I know what it's like to have nothing. The research this money will help fund will change peoples' lives for the better."

"Well, thank you. I will ensure not a dime is wasted."

The woman from the door approached us, apologising for interrupting. She pulled Alfred away, preparing him for his speech. Carlisle and I stepped aside, his arm around my back. As Alfred began to speak, I looked around the room. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just looking. But my eyes fell on a beautiful blonde young woman. She was standing in the arms of a young man, her hand clutching a champagne glass. She was wearing a stunning, blood red dress. Her long blonde hair was perfectly straight around her slim face. A face that I recognised. A face that I have been thinking about for months.

My eyes stayed on her, analysing every inch of her body. And whilst she was so different, it was her. There was no doubt that it was. I squeezed Carlisle's hand, his head turning down to me.

"Bella's here."

He immediately became confused, glancing around the room, searching for her.

"Where?"

"The young blonde in the red dress. Near the middle of the room."

I watched as his eyes looked her up and down, his hope fading.

"That's not her, sweetheart. She does have some resemblance, so you're seeing what you want to see."

"Carlisle, trust me. It is her. I know Bella. She's here."

"It's not her. I wish it was, but that woman has blonde hair and grey eyes. It's not her, Esme."

I looked at her again and sighed. He was probably right. Why would Bella be here? There's no one holding the girl against her will. If it was her, she'd run. Wouldn't she?

For the next hour, we wandered around the room, speaking with other guests that held regard for Carlisle. My eye kept wandering, watching the young blonde. The more I watched her, the less she appeared like Bella. Her legs were long, thin and toned, her delicate feet strapped into high red stilettos. The red dress clung to her slim body, the neckline plunging between her breasts. Her arms were bare, a gold bangle on her right wrist, a ring on her right index finger and a silver diamond ring on her left ring finger. Her blonde hair was perfectly straight down her back and around her face. She had only a light amount of makeup on her face, accentuating her natural beauty. Her grey eyes popped, almost shining despite their dullness. This young woman was sheer perfection. She carried herself with a confidence Bella had never possessed. She was so sure of herself, so certain that she was the most beautiful person in the room. And I couldn't deny that. She was nothing like Bella. Yet a part of me was screaming that it was her.

There was a moment when she left the room. I attempted to follow, but Carlisle held my arm tightly. He knew I was distracted and now spiralling out of control. His hold calmed me down. My eye went to the door when she came back in though. She was angry and calmly frantic as she went straight to her man. She pulled him aside, whispering quietly between themselves.

"Carlisle, please, let us go and talk to her. I am certain it is Bella."

"Okay. We will speak to them briefly. But do not say anything suspicious."

As we started beelining for the couple, the woman noticed us and straightened up, trying drag him away.

"Dr Grey?"

Carlisle had asked of the couple earlier in the evening, no one was certain who they were, but suspected him to be Dr Daniel Grey.

"Yes. And you must be the famous Dr Cullen. I've read about your work in New York. Quite the forward thinker."

"Thank you. This is my wife, Esme."

So close to the woman now, I was staring into her grey eyes. My hope grew. There was a fire behind her eyes that I recognised in Bella's. Dr Grey held his hand out to us, and I diverted my eyes to his briefly. His handshake was tight, strong. I didn't recognise him at all. And yet this woman, who I was almost certain was Bella, felt comfortable with him.

"Hi, I'm Shelby."

"My fiancé."

"Congratulations."

"I've been waiting for this man to propose for years. All it took was a ring slipped into his jacket before he got the idea. Seriously, sometimes I don't know how men operate without us women."

Shelby's accent was strong. I couldn't tell where from, but she sounded nothing like Bella. My hope diminished instantly. She spoke with such love for Dr Grey when talking of their proposal.

"I wanted to ask you of your latest report on the human psyche. A fascinating read."

"Of course. It was a fun study into the workings of the brain. Watching the brain activity in children compared to adults whilst presented with the same hypothetical scenarios really gave a new insight into different ways of thinking. Did you have a specific question, Dr Cullen?"

"I was merely curious as to how you presented the scenarios to the children. I have previously attempted to work with children myself. Not my forte. And as much as I enjoy it, keeping them focused and understanding what it is I am saying is really rather difficult."

As Carlisle spoke with Dr Grey, I stared at Shelby. She knew I was watching her, she'd caught my eyes, but quickly looked away.

"Yes, they do present a challenge don't they. I had a team of graphic designers create an animation to play out each scenario, with no inappropriate images, of course. They were played for both children and adults, and it was the adults that responded most physically to them."

"Curious isn't it…"

Their eyes turned to me.

"…The way a child's mind works. So understanding to the world around, yet oblivious at the same time. Do you have children?"

"Us? Oh, no. Most definitely not. We don't want children. Not for another few years at least. I am not ready to give up my life yet."

"You do not have to give up your life if you have a baby. Children give a new meaning to life."

"You have children?"

"Yes. We've five adopted. They're all teenagers now though. Nearly adults themselves."

"Such a responsibility. On top of a successful medical career too."

"I wouldn't be able to do it all if it wasn't for my wife. She is the glue to our family. Holds us all together."

I leaned up and pecked Carlisle's cheek. He really knew how to make me feel special.

"Someone once told me that the hardest, most under paid job in the world is the position of a Mother."

My heart skipped a beat as Shelby spoke calmly. I'd spoken those exact words to Bella once. It was Bella. She was standing here, right in front of us. But she couldn't tell us. Something was threatening her. And yet it wasn't Dr Grey; if this really was Dr Grey. She'd walked away from him just before, if she needed help, she would have spoken to anyone for help. I squeezed Carlisle's hand and he proceeded to pull me into his side, his arm sliding around my back.

"One day I hope to be a wonderful Mother, but I'm young, I have a great body, and I want to enjoy it. I mean, you only live one life. You have to enjoy every minute of it whilst you can. Soon enough we're going to be as old and useless as most of these men in the room."

A few tears watered in my eyes.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to use the ladies. I won't be long."

She walked away from us, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I need to speak to Dr Jones before he leaves tonight. It was an honour to meet you Dr Cullen. I truly have admired your work. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Esme."

He glided across the room, engaging with another man. My focus had changed though.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Hurrying from the ballroom, I found the restrooms quickly. It was only Bella inside, applying more lipstick.

"Bella? Bella, please tell me it's you?"

"I'm sorry, Esme. My name is Shelby. I don't know any Bella."

"If that man is hurting you, forcing you to do anything, just give me a sign. I can help. You don't have to be scared anymore."

"I really am sorry. But I don't know what you're talking about. I love Danny. He would never do anything to hurt me."

She pushed past me, out of the bathroom. I stood there for a moment, a few tears trailing down my cheeks. I knew that was Bella. Everything in my being knew it was her. And yet she showed no recognition of it being her. Staring into nothingness, I could feel my heart shattering. Why didn't I do something more? Why didn't I beg her to come with me?

Taking a deep breath, I looked down to my bag, wanting to lift out a tissue. But it was open. I immediately panicked, thinking something had fallen out. Pulling the few contents out and onto the counter, I let out a breath. My phone, credit card, hotel key card and bundle of tissues were all still present. There was something else though. Tucked between my phone and the key card was a piece of paper, red lipstick scrawled across it. Opening it up, my breath got caught in my throat.

**Leave and do not say a word to anyone.**

Quickly hurrying back to the ballroom, my eyes searched for Bella, but she was gone, Dr Grey now missing too. Carlisle was immediately by my side, worried for my clearly terrified expression.

"It was Bella. I swear it was."

"Esme…"

"No. She gave me this note. Someone was listening to what she was saying so she couldn't say anything. But she slipped this in my handbag."

I handed him the small square of hotel paper. He read it over and instantly became nervous.

"We should leave. If it was Bella, she's obviously warning us of something that is going to happen. Us being here could be putting her in danger."

"We need to help her."

"Esme, dear. I know you want to help, but if we try to do something, we may be causing her more trouble. We don't even know where she is now. Dr Grey has already left. They probably won't be coming back. Let's go back to the hotel. Bella wouldn't tell us to leave unless she wanted us to. And if she needed help, she'd have written for you to call the 911."

He was right. There was something going on that we obviously didn't know about. Bella was in trouble, but she was clearly capable of handling it herself.

We said our goodbyes to Alfred, letting him know we were leaving. In the back of the cab, Carlisle held me close to him, my head on his shoulder. A part of me was guilty for leaving Bella behind. All I had to do was reach out and grab her to me. But I didn't. I knew it was her, despite everything telling me it wasn't, and I did nothing. That, I would have to live with for the rest of my life.


	19. Attempt

**Attempt**

_Bella's POV_

_9th May_

The mission was a success. A blinding success for the first time back. There was no buzz though. Despite knowing what that man was capable of, killing him did nothing to my nerves. I was happy, very. I could return to the facility with a newfound trust. Hopefully it would gain me some respect and trust back.

I'd tidied up the target's room, leaving no trace of my presence behind. But I had left the lines of cocaine on the table, his body draped over the couch. At first glance, the case would be seen as a drug overdose. The Ghosts would ensure the investigation wouldn't go any further than that.

Opening the balcony doors, I leaned over the edge. It was a long way down, straight into traffic. With my heels tossed down to the balcony below, I climbed over the edge. Hanging my legs down, I carefully scaled down the stone balcony before my body was dangling between the two floors. I swung back and forth before neatly landing on the balcony of the room below. Stepping in through the open doors, I saw a proud Trey sitting on the end of the bed. He'd already packed away his computer, hiding it in his suitcase. He stood and strode over to me, pulling me into his arms. This was what I loved about Trey. Even after I had killed someone, he was still my friend. Whilst my friends back in Forks would most certainly be terrified and disgusted, Trey understood why I did what I did. And he tried to make me feel good about it.

He pulled away a little and pressed his lips to mine. Not getting a response at first, he persisted. Just as he started to pull away, I kissed him back. Pulling out my earpiece, I tossed it across the room so that it landed in his open bag. I loved him and I always had. Whenever I was with him, I felt safe and warm. There was no one else in the world that made me feel this way; well almost no one.

The kiss started slow and somewhat passionate as his lips caressed mine. His hands rested on my hips, his fingers stroking the top of my ass. At first my hands stayed wrapped around his neck before tangling them into his hair. With his soft touch and loving lips, I couldn't help but let a small moan rumble through my throat. This made him smile widely into the kiss and pull me flesh against his body. His arms wound around my back, his hands resting on the opposite hips as to before.

With the new direction, his head tilted to the side causing his nose to slide along the side of mine. Being so close, he took the opportunity to run his tongue along my top lip. The moment my lips parted even slightly, he pushed his tongue into my mouth. Loving the taste of the small amount of champagne on his breath, I moaned more loudly. One of his hands quickly cupped my cheek to hold my head still. It gave him the control over the kiss, and he sped up the movement of our lips.

Reaching down, I tried to unclip the fun holder from around my leg. But it was awkward. It got caught on my dress before I stumbled slightly. For someone with such great balance, it was an embarrassing moment for me. Usually I was elegant when doing something like this. Quick. As if nothing had happened. This was not one of those moments. Trey didn't seem to care because he dropped to his knees and placed my foot on his thigh. Sucking the inside of my thigh, he pulled the gun out. Carefully sliding it across the floor, he stared up at me. His fingers slid up the inside of my knee. I bit on my bottom lip to stifle my moan. It didn't matter though. He could hear me anyway. He unbuckled the gun strap before he placed several kisses to my thigh. A kiss to the top of my thigh caused me to shiver in delight. Standing, he then kissed the valley between my breasts, and I took hold of his hair again.

Bringing his lips back to mine, he held my hips, pulling me towards him. He sat on the edge of the bed and I followed by sitting on his lap. The kiss had become more heated and frenzied as our breath was fast and raspy. I started to unbutton his shirt and untucked it from his dress pants. Half the buttons were undone so I ran my hand over his pecks and over his shoulder. He hummed softly and pulled away from the kiss for a moment.

His lips came back to mine and I was suddenly lying beneath him in the middle of the bed. He was leaning over me, my eyes wide. I forgot he had his own powers as he hardly used them. He didn't need to. Everything about him was perfect because that's how he was made to be. His brain was perfect. His body was perfect. The way his lips seemed to be made to fit against mine was perfect. His large, strong hands could hold my body in a tight, safe grip. And he did. He held me close.

He knelt beside me as he held me on my side. Holding the back of my knee, he gently pulled it closer and closer to his hips. When my knee eventually lay on his hip, I moaned. I could feel him. I could feel a lot of him. It was then that his hand roughly slid up my thigh. As his hand moved, my dress pulled up, the lingerie Victoria made me wear being revealed. He grasped my ass, making me a little uncomfortable. I took a hold of his wrist and tried to pull his hand away. Pushing me onto my back, he reluctantly removed his hand from my ass but slid it under my dress and squeezed my breast.

"Trey…"

Running his tongue around my mouth, he started to palm my breast more aggressively. I fisted my hands on his chest and tried to pry him off me. He must have finally noticed that my lips were no longer moving with his, but he kissed along my jaw and sucked on my earlobe instead.

"Trey stop… stop."

"Come on Issy."

He'd begun to rock his hips against mine and I wanted it to stop. I knew my strength wasn't enough, not whilst I was lying underneath with most of his weight bearing down on me.

"No, stop."

He didn't. He did stop thrusting against me, but he held his hips against mine, his hard crotch pressed to mine. His lips kissed around my neck and to my other ear whilst his hand palmed my breast harder.

"I said stop."

Speaking forcefully, I used what strength I had to force him off me. He soared through the air and hit the wall hard. His body fell to the floor before he even realised what had happened. The effort I put into pushing him caused me to sit up. I looked a mess. My dress was all over the place, my lingerie panties on display and left breast popping out. Trying to cover myself up a little, I glared at Trey as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I love you Issy."

"I love you too Trey."

My response was weak and feeble, but he knew it was true. He knew that I loved him.

"Why can't I show you that I love you then Issy? I know you want to… I can see it in your eyes. Just give me a chance."

He went to move but when I held my hand up, he fell back down against the wall. Fire was in my eyes, and I would do what I had to, despite punishment later.

"I want to Trey… I do. I just… I can't."

His face was emotionless and hard, but his eyes held sadness. Everything was in his eyes. He could never hide anything from those who knew him.

"Why not Issy?"

"I need time."

"I'll wait, Is."

Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands. Why had such a great celebration gone wrong? I wanted to be able to be with Trey. I knew it was pointless waiting for Edward. It wouldn't be fair to me or him to wait for a man that was too good for me. I couldn't subject him to a life with me. He was all the good in the world that I knew. And my darkness would corrupt him. Trey… It didn't matter with Trey. He held a darkness similar to my own. And I really do love him. I want to be with him. I want to enjoy being with him. I just wasn't ready.

I climbed out of the bed and Trey cautiously stood up, keeping his back pressed to the wall. Going out to the balcony, I grabbed my shoes.

"We'll talk about this later. We need to go before anyone finds the body."

I went into the bathroom and spent a few minutes fixing my hair and adjusting my make-up. When I looked pristine again, I stepped back into the bedroom to find Trent had fixed himself up and was calmly waiting. Linking my arm with his, we made our way back downstairs and out of the front door, unnoticed. Another agent would return in a few days to collect the suitcase when things calmed down.


	20. Knocked Down

**Knocked Down**

_Bella's POV_

_10th May 2018_

After a three hour flight, the private plane, with blacked out windows, taxied into the facilities plane hangar. Trey and I were led into the elevator and down through the facility to the debriefing rooms. These were vastly different to the briefing rooms. These were more like interrogation rooms. A metal table with a chair on either side and a camera in the top corner. Separated, Trey and I were taken to opposite rooms. The soundproofed walls meant we couldn't hear into the other room. We sat and spent the next few hours recounting everything. From exact timings, to everything we touched, to everyone we spoke to. Every detail was recorded and marked out. Any clean up that was needed could be done with all the information we provided. But this mission needed no clean up. We'd been professional, we'd done everything right. Nothing had gone wrong.

I was then taken back to my room and given six hours to sleep. I hardly slept two hours though. My mind went through every scenario as to what Carlisle and Esme had done with my note. They hadn't contacted hotel security, that much I knew. And they hadn't immediately called the police. If they'd called the police by now, I would currently be in the tank. And they'd be dead.

Sitting upright on my bed, my legs crossed, I closed my eyes. I focused on my breathing, letting my mind go blank. Whilst I wasn't sleeping, my mind and body was getting as much rest as it needed.

It was only the heavy door opening that brought me out of my meditative state. Dean was stood on the other side, grinning.

"I hear you did a good job on the mission."

"Good? Please, no one's as good as me."

"You have a session with Victoria now. You can eat your lunch with her."

"A lunch date with Vicky? Oh, you are spoiling me."

Following him down to Victoria's therapy room, I had a renewed sense of energy.

The session mostly consisted of Victoria asking me questions about Carlisle and Esme. Of course she would. I knew that if I avoided most of the questions, they'd figure out how I felt about the whole situation. But if I said too much, she'd know I was hiding something. No one knew I'd spoken to Esme alone in the bathroom. No one knew I'd given her that note.

After she'd exhausted the questions about the Cullens, she moved onto asking about Trent. The ghosts all knew about what happened between Trey and I last night. They would have heard the start of it over the comms. I'm sure Trey had been given a grilling about it during debriefing. I made it clear to Victoria that there was nothing happening between Trey and I, and nothing ever would.

By the end of Victoria's two hour long session, I was exhausted. It was so tiring playing my part. But I knew I had to play their game. I needed them to trust me. And the Cullens had been a carrot on a string. They tempted me. But I didn't bite. I wasn't going to. I knew what would happen if I did.

I was then given the rest of the day off. I had to stay in my room, locked up. But I had my guitar and books. Eventually falling asleep in the early hours of the morning, I got a few hours of restful sleep.

My daily routine began again the next day though. I joined the other recruits in the gym, ready for the combat class. My anger at Trey was still strong. I knew it would be difficult to keep it in check, but it would at least be good practise.

"Okay class, I'm back as of today. As is X1-28. Let's pick up from where we left off. 1-28!"

Trey had stridden into the room, all of us standing around the large mat. I jogged into the middle of it and lifted my fists, my knees slightly bent.

"Block defences only."

Giving him a curt nod, I stared up at him. He jabbed his hand out, my arm automatically coming up to block it. We went through the basic motions a dozen times before I got bored. The next jab he made, I grabbed his arm and pulled him over, dropping him to the ground. The others watched on shocked as I stood over Trey. He lay on the mat, his eyes wide for a brief moment before he looked angry.

"Defensive blocks only 1-28."

"The class know how to defend themselves X1-23. Why don't we teach them something a little more useful?"

"These are the set classes."

He'd climbed back to his feet and glared down at me. I thrust my hand out, attempting to hit his stomach, but he saw it coming. He grabbed my wrist. Throwing up my leg, I knocked him sideways and freed my arm.

"1-28!"

"What? You were all over me the other night. Don't want to touch me anymore Trey?"

I could hear the others hold their breath. They knew that Trey and I were close, and I knew some of them thought there was more there. But there wasn't. Not really.

"Trouble in paradise, huh."

Whilst Caitlin had whispered the words so quietly that no one else could hear, Trey and I did. His fists were clenched by his sides, his nose flaring as he held himself still. I'd pushed him further than I ever had. It had been a low blow, but I didn't care.

"Caitlin, on the mat."

Her eyes widened as she realised she'd been heard. Cautiously stepping forward, she planted her feet, in fear of an attack.

"Full combat against X1-28. We continue till one gives in."

She lifted her head, now confident. Stupidly so. Even if I wasn't as wound up as I was, she stood no chance.

I let her make the first few punches, none of them connecting with me. She was starting to get a little frustrated. Her feet shuffled on the mat and her arm swung out at me. In a similar move to before, I grabbed her wrist and forearm, flipping her onto the ground. She glared up at me. Jumping to her feet, she threw her arm out at me. I used the palm of my hand to hit her stomach, winding her. Her foot came up and she tried to kick the side of my head. I'd crouched down though, spinning around with my leg up, knocking her down. As she came down, her hand grabbed my hair and she pulled me with her. Rolling over her, I leveraged myself up to continue rolling to my feet again.

Caitlin scrambled to her feet, but I grabbed her thigh and arm throwing her across the mat. The others watched on as she lay on the floor. Staring at her, I watched as she started to writhe around. Her body was burning hot.

"X1-28!"

Even though Trey was shouting, I could hardly hear him. I was focused on the girl screaming on the floor in front of me.

"X1-28! Recruit! Issy!"

Trey grabbed my wrist, snapping me out of it. I let Caitlin go from my mental hold. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. The others were all staring terrified. I tossed my hair back and placed my hands to my hips.

"Well then. I think we all know who won that fight."

"X1-28, off the mat."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Whatever."

Going over to the edge of the mat, I crossed my feet over and gracefully lowered myself to the floor. Trey then went over to Caitlin, holding his hand out to her.

"Do you need to see the Doctor?"

"No. I'm okay."

Rattled, she took his hand and let him help her up.

"Hayley, Sophie, you're up. Defence blocks only."

Caitlin started of standing across the mat from me. But I'd really beaten her up quite bad. She'd have a couple bruises by the end of the day. It was more the heat that was getting to her though. My ability was more painful than anything anyone would have experienced in life. Depending on how I used it, it could make you feel like every cell in your body was being boiled. Eventually she slowly collapsed to the floor. She sat there, breathing heavily as she stared at the edge of the mat. Maybe I'd pushed her too far. She wasn't the one I was angry at. It was Trey. But Victoria had told me to knock Caitlin down a few pegs. I'd done that. I just hoped I hadn't destroyed all her confidence. Great. More work to be doing.

The class proceeded with each of the girls getting their turn on the mat. Everyone was too scared to speak, no one looking at me. But they threw concerned glances to Caitlin.


	21. On Top

**On Top**

_Bella's POV_

_11th May 2018_

At the end of the class, we were given five minutes to shower before being taken to the computer lab. Our computer classes covered anything tech related. I'd learnt it all already, and when I was home, I taught myself. The advancement of technology in the last ten years made it harder for us to stay hidden and to protect our families. But our ability to adapt meant we could use it in our favour. I'd managed to hide my Mom and I for two years before they found us.

Computer class was the only class that I was allowed to sit at the back in. Each desk had three monitors and a keyboard. We were given new tasks each class, always being timed. Like in every class, there were advantages to finishing first. You could live without being first though. Finish last three times and you'd face punishment. I'd seen enough of the girls being taken away to know who was struggling the most.

Sitting in the class, I finished the two hour task of getting through six firewalls, retrieving all the fake data and reinstalling the firewalls as if I'd never been there. I did all this in just twenty minutes. When your computer logs the completion of the task, your name appears on the big screen at the front, creating a leader board. I sat back for a minute, watching as the others all realised I'd finished. I could see the anger and frustration on Caitlin's face.

Using my computer to tap into each of theirs, I watched each line of code they typed. Ciara making some good progress. But it was Emma that surprised me the most. She was usually in the bottom group most classes. I hadn't paid much mind to her in the past. She just coasted by, scrapping seventh or eighth each leader board. Her code looked good though. And she was further ahead than any of the others.

Emma's name appeared on the leader board, her time of 1:23:48 making her second in the class to finish. After me of course. It was also the fastest any of them had finished a task in this class before. I then leaned forward to my computer. Taking control of Ciara's computer first, I copied out my code over hers. I glanced over to where she was sat as her hands lifted up, her eyes widening. She subtly glanced round and her eyes found mine. My lips turned up and I smirked at her. She let out a low breath and sat back. I then took over Sienna's screen, doing the same for her. Working my way through each of the girls computers, I left Caitlin for last. She watched as each name appeared on the leader board. Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, typing out code. But in her stress, she was making mistakes. A lot of mistakes. For the first time, it looked like she wouldn't finish. Waiting till the last few minutes, I took over her computer, filling out her code with my completed code. You could feel the relief washing over her. But she was bottom of the leader board. She'd never been at the bottom. The other recruits were acutely aware of why.

"I'm glad to see everyone finished today. Well done."

After a ten minute lecture we were all led down to the lunch hall. For the last two weeks, I'd been allowed to eat lunch and dinner with the other recruits. Just the nine girls in my class, but it was nicer than eating alone in my room. None of them talked to me though. They had all been too scared to.

Lifting my tray of food, I took my usual seat at the end of the bench, the others taking their spots. Everyone was eating in silence, their eyes travelling the length of the table between Caitlin and me.

"You were on a mission?"

Sophie, who sat across from me, was looking down at her tray, her fork in her hand. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up at me.

"Yesterday, I mean? You were out on a mission, weren't you?"

They all turned to me, eager to hear my response.

"We got back early yesterday morning."

"What was it like?"

"Where did you go?"

"What did you have to do?"

"You girls will learn that you aren't allowed to talk about missions. Once debriefed, you don't talk to anyone about what went down."

"But you… you know? Killed someone?"

"Not all missions are about killing."

"How many missions have you been on?"

"Enough to know that if we keep talking about them, we'll all be punished. And thanks, but I don't feel like lying in the tank for a week."

Looking down to my food, I speared a piece of potato and popped it into my mouth. I wanted to be able to talk to these girls like I'd have talked to the others like me. We understood each other, understood why we did what we did. But if these girls were to find out that I was talking to Victoria about them, they'd hate me. You don't talk about each other. That had been the rule five years ago. You take the punishment but keep your lips sealed. And I hated being a spy, but I had to. They didn't know what punishment was. They had never been tortured with a cattle prod or cut open and operated on. They had it easy compared to me.

I was just glad they'd gotten over their fear of me from this morning. I hadn't meant to go as far as I did with Caitlin. But it had done its job. She knew she wasn't on top anymore. She knew what that dread felt like to see your name on the bottom of the leader board.

My next job was to talk to Ciara. Try and build her up a little. If she had that extra bit of confidence, she'd rival Caitlin anytime. She had a natural intelligence and ability to learn quickly. I could see her being very good on missions. Her physical strength was there. She just needed confidence in herself. And she needed to not be so scared.

Luckily for me, Victoria had set it up that Ciara and I would be working together in Chem class. As we handled the dangerous chemicals, trying to create a substance that would melt through specific alloys of steel, we talked quietly enough that the others wouldn't hear us.

"You're good, you know. Better than Caitlin."

"Caitlin's the best. Well, not as good as you, obviously. But she's always been top."

"Maybe it's time for someone else to be. You've been close to knocking her out a couple times in combat. And your stamina is better than hers. You just give up when you're safe in the middle of the class."

"Sometimes it's better to stay in the middle of the pack than be at the top or the bottom. I don't want to be singled out for any reason."

"I know that going unnoticed seems like the better choice. But you have been noticed. That's why you're in this class with me. If they didn't see you, you'd be with the other recruits in D wing. You've been seen. Everyone in this class was picked for their potential. Maybe it's time you fulfil your potential?"

"You really think I could be top of the leader board?"

"Why not? You've been in close second in most classes. You don't have to be top in all of them, pick one class to start with and work from there."

"Which should I try?"

"You have to figure that out on your own."

I gave her a small smile.

"You're good, Ciara. And one day you'll be out on a mission and you'll have wished you'd applied yourself more. You can't just give up when you're working. That's how someone gets hurt or caught."

"What if I don't want to go on a mission?"

"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice. Just remember that you won't be alone. You're first missions will be done in groups or pairs. I won't deny that it takes its toll, but you'll learn how to deal with the moral toll eventually. The best thing you can do is tell yourself that it isn't your fault."

"Is that what you do?"

"I have to."

We'd been talking too long, drawing attention to ourselves. Giving her a pointed look, she understood that our conversation was over. I just hoped my words had given her some much needed confidence in herself.


	22. Remembrance

**Remembrance**

_Bella's POV_

_18th May 2018_

5 years. 5 years had passed since we'd escaped. Since Anabel, Hannah, Robyn and Morgan. I missed them, every minute of every day, just as I missed Chris, Austin and Ashley. We'd fought for our freedom. We fought every day of our lives to escape them. To escape what we were made for. But it had all been futile. We hadn't stopped them. We just lay in waiting for them as they took more children. Our escape, it means nothing unless we have freedom. And we won't have that until they're all gone. Every last one of them has to die, or we can't have peace.

I'd been awake all night. Sitting on my bed, staring into nothingness, I remembered. I remembered the first time I'd been taken, the pure terror running through me. I remembered when I met the other recruits and each time they brought someone else in. I remembered our first mission. I remembered every time I was punished or rewarded for being on the top or bottom of the class. I remembered the moment we began our escape. I remembered knocking on my parent's door. I remembered their expressions when they saw me standing there. I remembered meeting the Cullens. I remembered my Mom moving to Arizona. I remembered when my Mom first told me about Phil. I remembered when he asked me if it was okay if he proposed to my Mom. I remembered her excitement when he did. I remembered coming home from the gym to find their bodies, bloodied and broken. I remembered having to tell my Dad. I remembered the police's questions. I remembered the months I spent alone. I remembered going back to Forks, pretending like nothing happened. I remembered the few years I had of safety at home. I remembered each year I'd go and meet up with the others. I remembered the moment I'd lost it all.

The door was opened the same as every day. Nothing was different to them. I went through the day as if it were just any other day. But I didn't stop thinking about the others. They'd all be at the farm right now. Depending on the time zone, they'd probably be in the kitchen, Matthew making them all breakfast.

Trey and I exchanged glances through the day. I'd gotten over my anger at him. He was my ally here. He was my only ally. No one else here understood what we'd gone through. As with every day, my last class was a private training session with Trey. We both ran on the treadmill for an hour, sharing our own memories of the others. I couldn't talk to him about after though. He didn't have those memories. He had his freedom for just a few hours before he came back. And he knew that I didn't want to talk about my Mom around here, so we had a silent agreement that we didn't talk about the outside world.

Being left in my room for the night. I sat in the middle of the cold metal floor, my legs crossed, and my eyes closed. I'd been planning to try something new. Something dangerous and untested. But it could change everything. If it worked. Concentrating on my breathing, I supressed all my emotions, focusing solely on my ability.

**_Third Person_**

Over the last two days, the Black Harts had begun to gather in Colorado. They were each scared to be the next ones the Ghosts came after. Together, they were safe, but their families weren't. None of them had missed an anniversary though. It was a time they could be themselves, not having to hide their true power.

This year was different though. Issy wasn't there. As soon as she'd been taken, they all received word from Zander. They knew that she wouldn't have gone quietly. Each watched the news reports of the showdown that had occurred in the tiny town of Forks. Each waited anxiously for updates from Zander. But with them all together again, it was a painful reminder of where she was.

Five years after their escape, to the minute, they found themselves standing out on a little wooden dock, singing. They did every year to show that they didn't forget their fallen friends. Issy would usually lead them, letting a flame float into the sky for each of their lost friends. This year, there was only darkness. Standing on the dock, the last notes of their song hung in the silent air. Each imagined Issy standing in front of them. Each imagined the small flames floating into the sky. They all stood in their places longer than usual, holding onto the years past.

Eventually, they turned back to the safe farmhouse. Sitting around the living room, they sat quietly, telling stories of the friends they'd never see again. It was late when Terra went into the kitchen to refill the coffee pot. As she waited for it to boil, she stared out the window. It was pitch black out, the moon covered by thick cloud. But her enhanced sight allowed her to see the slight ripples of water in the lake.

A spark of light caught her eye and she dropped the mug she'd been holding. The sound of it shattering brought the others running out as Terra sprinted out the back door.

"ISSY! ISSY?!"

A flame hovered where Issy usually was stood. The others had all gathered just off the dock, staring at the flame. Issy was nowhere in sight. But there was no doubt that this was her.

"She's here. Issy is here with us."

The single flame hovered for a minute before it extinguished.

**_Bella's POV_**

Exhausted, I fell back on the floor. I'd never felt so drained before in my life. And for the first time, I felt cold. Usually my ability would naturally keep me warm. But I could feel the cold of the metal flooring. I had no way of knowing whether my plan had worked. Either way, I needed sleep. I wouldn't get through tomorrow if I didn't.

I crawled over to my bed, wrapping myself up tightly in the blanket. As tired as my body was, my mind kept going. Cold, every inch of my body shivered. I'd never felt anything like this before. I knew I needed help. Part of me was too drained to get to the door, let alone bang on it. Another part of me knew I couldn't get help. If anyone found out why I was like this, they'd start experimenting on me again.

Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling, focusing my breathing. One by one, I relaxed my muscles, stopping their shivering. Once I was finally relaxed, I could feel my warmth coming back to me. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. My full strength wouldn't come back to me for a while, but it was a start. And the slight increase of warmth quieted my mind enough for me to sleep.


	23. Mentoring

**Mentoring**

_Bella's POV_

_23rd May_

I'd been woken up early. I thought they'd be giving me a new mission. But I'd been led down to Victoria's room, not the briefing room.

"I done something wrong? You never call me down early unless I have, Vicky. I've been a model recruit. Girl Scouts honour."

Holding my hand up, I smiled across at her.

"Take a seat, Isabella. We have important business to discuss."

I sat, lifting one knee over the other, my hands folding together. I was curious. This had never happened before. I had no idea what was about to happen.

"As you know, the other recruits are close to being ready to be sent on missions. They have all the required skills."

"They're okay."

"Whilst they might be physically ready, they aren't mentally prepared. Starting today, they will take a new class. One that will teach them about missions. What to expect, how to prepare, how to manage situations and how to get themselves out of trouble. Due to your experience, it has been decided that you shall teach this class."

I kept my face blank, not showing my surprise. Leaning forward, I stared across at her.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Obviously we cannot force you to teach the recruits anything. However, I thought that you would choose to teach them instead of them going out unprepared."

She knew that she'd got me there. Whether I taught the girls or not, they'd be going on missions soon enough. And I couldn't let them go out there without knowing what they were doing. I remembered my first mission. If someone could have prepared me, I'd have wanted them too.

"I'll teach them. But I want to do it my way."

"That won't be possible, Isabella. Your classes have already been planned and set for you. We only need you to deliver them."

"Then I'm not doing it. I'm sorry, Victoria, but you haven't a clue what it means to go on a mission. Have you even left the dark of this place since you got here?"

She sat back in her chair, flicking through her notepad.

"What would you want to do with the recruits if you could have it your way, Isabella?"

I sat back, relaxing as I thought about it. I knew I'd have to obey some guidelines as to what I could do. But there was no reason I couldn't have some fun with it.

"Of course, I would prepare them for what it is really like being on a mission. Something that only a few really know. I'd need a little assistance from your wardrobe. And I'd like to run a few simulated missions. I have a few ideas already. Nothing that requires any danger, but it would be best if the recruits don't know that."

I spent the next three hours discussing plans with Victoria. She then took me down to the briefing room where I riffled through the clothes.

**_Third Person_**

The nine recruits had sat down to what they expected to be their Chem class. But the usual teacher wasn't the one to open the door. They recognised the man as the one in charge. They'd never been told his name. He'd lurked in the shadows on occasion and been present during some of their sessions with Victoria. Whilst they knew little about the man, the only important thing to know was that they should fear him.

"Each of you have been selected from the Upper class because of your potential. You've spent the last five months training harder than any other recruit in preparation for your first mission. You should be happy to hear that I have been pleased with your progress. Some of you have surprised me more than expected, whilst others have lived up to my expectations of you. Your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed. But that doesn't mean you can stop now. Whilst you are ready for missions, you aren't prepared for them. After discussions with Victoria and Mr Pineda, a new class is to be introduced. Mission Prep. Everything you learn will be useful when you are out on a mission, whether that be in groups, or alone. I advise you all to pay close attention in this class. If you get into trouble when on a mission, there is only so much we can do to protect you. I don't want to have to terminate any recruit because they have caused trouble for themselves and for us."

Each of the girls had become nervous. Caitlin had been the only one excited by the thought of going on a mission. But with the possibility of going out growing stronger, she was becoming more anxious.

"We've brought in a new instructor to lead this class. Ms Carlson."

The door was opened, and a stunning blonde strode into the room. Stilettos clicked on the flooring. A purse rested in the crook of her elbow. Her right wrist held a gold watch and selection of bangles, a gold ring on her pointer finger. She wore a short, tight red dress, her large breasts pushed up to accentuate them. A stiff gold ring necklace lay around her neck, a gold chain with a diamond pendant lay underneath that. Her long, straight blonde hair framed her makeup covered face. Her bright blue eyes were perceiving and sharp. She placed her hand to the man's shoulder, her long manicured fingers stroking his shirt.

"Thank you, Sebastian, I can take it from here."

"Enjoy."

He turned and walked from the room, the door closing tightly behind him. Ms Carlson leaned back against the desk at the front of the room, glancing round at the recruits.

"I'm sure you are all wondering who I am and what makes me qualified to teach this class. Of course, you have every right to wonder that. But the fact that I am standing here, and you are all sitting there is enough of an answer. There is much that all of you need to learn before you will be ready to go on a mission. Each mission you are assigned will be different to the last. Things will be expected of you that you won't want to do. You'll find yourselves in situations which will require you to think quickly. I have a tough task ahead of me. And I had hoped that at least one of you would have recognised me. But the looks on your faces tells me you clearly do not. Sebastian thinks you are ready for your first mission. He's ready to send you out tomorrow. Until you learn the power of observations, you'll never be ready."

Lifting her hand, she wrapped her fingers around the front of her wig, pulling it backwards. The recruits' eyes widened as they realised that the woman before them was Isabella. She pulled her brown hair out of the wig net and shook it out.

"I thought you girls had learnt more in the last five months."

Taking her hoop earrings out and pulling off all the jewellery, she stepped out of the stilettos.

"You guys have a lot to learn."

She walked around the desk and pressed her hand against the call button. The door was then opened, and a trolley was brought in. On the bottom shelf was a large box of miscellaneous objects. On the top was a big black piece of card.

"Push your tables to the wall and line your chairs up in the middle of the room."

They all sat still for a moment, scared.

"Get moving."

In an instant, they were up and doing as she said. As they lined their chairs up, side by side, Issy placed the black screen onto the desk, standing it upright to obscure the view behind it.

"Alright, I'm going to place five items behind this screen. I will call you one by one to step forward. You'll have five seconds to memorise the items. I will then rearrange them, and you will have twenty seconds to tell me what three differences there are."

She lifted a rubber duck, an orange, a bowl, a shoe and a little elephant trinket behind the screen. Looking across the line of recruits, she gave them a cunning grin.

"Ciara. Why don't you do first?"

Silently standing, she took one step closer.

"A couple more steps, Ciara. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm on your side."

She moved closer and let out a breath.

"Okay. Ready?"

With a small nod of the head, Issy lifted the screen, counted to five out loud before dropping the screen. Watching Ciara's face, she swapped the orange for a banana, took away the duck and put the elephant in its place. Picking up the screen again, she placed it to the side of the desk.

"You have twenty seconds, Ciara."

"Um. There was a duck… Uh… the shoes a different colour."

"Time."

She put the screen down and turned to the whiteboard. Scrawling Ciara's name down, she stroked one mark down.

"It was a good enough start, I guess. It wasn't fair to make you go first. You'll get another go later on. Hayley, you're up next."

Going through each of the girls twice, none of them got more than two points a round. The changes she'd been making weren't overly subtle. It was only difficult because of the time pressure. But when they would walk into a new room, they would have just seconds to make as many observations as possible. This exercise was the starting blocks to the challenges she had planned for the next few weeks.

Each of the girls had been given three turns memorising five items. Issy wanted to ramp up the difficulty of the task and add in an element of teamwork.

"In a minute, I'm going to ask you all to turn around. I will place twenty items to the desk. When I say, you will all turn back around and have ten seconds to memorise the items. As we have done so, I'll move them around, swap them out for other items. Anything to change their configuration. You'll then have five minutes to write down every change I've made. Whilst you're facing the back, you can decide how you're going to carry out the task. You can all memorise everything. You can divide the task into groups. Anything. It's up to you. But you will only have until I tell you to turn around when your ten seconds begin. Does everyone understand what I'm asking for?"

The recruits all nodded their heads. The only times they'd spoken in this class had been when relaying their answers. Even though Issy was their instructor, they were terrified that this was a bigger test than what they'd been let in on.

"Okay. Stand up, turn around, and begin discussing."

Once they'd all turned around, Issy started lining up five items along the front of her desk, another five behind them, then five more and five more.

Facing the back of the room, Caitlin took command.

"Each of us take two items, and Sophie and I will take the extra one. Ciara, you're number one. Emma number two and so on till Sienna is number nine. So Sienna, you take the last two items."

"Turn around."

They each spun around quickly, some of them becoming confused by the items not being in one line. Caitlin realised she hadn't thought about this possibility. She'd assumed all of them would be along the front. Her numbering system wouldn't work because it wasn't clear where the first item was.

"Okay. Face the back."

More slowly than ten seconds ago, they all turned back. A little stressed, they stood in silence. For the first time in weeks, none of them were sure how the task would end. They hadn't been told the fail mark, so they didn't know how many changes they'd have to get right to avoid punishment.

Issy moved every single item in one way or another. She swapped items on the desk; she took some away leaving nothing in their place. She exchanged items with ones left in the box. And finally, she turned the apple, positioned in the middle of the front row, 180 degrees around. It was the most subtle change she'd made all class. But to a trained eye, it was obvious. If not for the slight change in colouring of the apple, but for the direction of the stalk.

"Your five minutes begin now."

The recruits all turned to face the unrecognisable organisation of items, their eyes widening.

"You can clean the whiteboard and use it for notes, and answers."

Moving to the side of the room, Issy sat herself on one of the cleared desks, waiting and observing how each recruit would handle the task.

"Um… so if each of us write out what we remember, we can then figure out the changes."

Caitlin lifted the whiteboard marker and drew a five by four grid out. Filling in three of the original items, she let the others write out what they could remember. Nine of the squares were left empty.

"Anyone have any ideas?"

"I thought the blue shoe had been there, but I'm not sure."

Ciara had spoken up, contradicting Sophie's placement of the shoe. Issy was a little surprised. She didn't think any of them would challenge other recruits' decisions.

"I thought it was too."

With Ruby's seconding of Ciara's choice, Caitlin turned to the girls.

"Does anyone think it was where it had been written?"

Even though they all knew Sophie had written it up, Caitlin didn't call her out. Five months ago, she most likely would have. But Issy had taught her a great deal in that time. And that decision hadn't gone unnoticed by Issy. Her respect for Caitlin grew.

"Okay, we'll move it here then."

Making no fuss, Caitlin rubbed its placement off and moved it.

"Anyone remember anything else?"

No one said anything, each thinking hard and beginning to panic.

"Right, why don't we start working out what changes have been made and mark those out. Maybe something will become clear. Ciara, Emma, why don't you stand in front of the desk and tell us the order of each item, starting from the front left corner and going along the line, and then starting from the left on the next line up. Hayley, Sophie and Ruby why don't you guys start on a list of all the original items that you remember. If you think of any that we haven't placed yet, it might jog something. Sienna and Summer, you could make a list of the items you know weren't on the table at the beginning. Paige, you can help me keep track of changes."

Issy had expected Caitlin to take charge. The way she was going about it wasn't demanding though. In high pressure situations, decisions had to be made quickly. There was no room for niceties. Nothing in the way she spook was demeaning, and she assigned the tasks to each of the girls, having considered their performance in the three individual rounds.

"Thirty seconds left."

The recruits were in constant conversation and debate, trying to fill in the remaining three squares left empty. They felt somewhat confident with the items that they were missing, but the discussion was about their specific placement. None of them really knew, which was the problem. In the last ten seconds, Caitlin scribbled down the items before stepping back.

"Stand in front of the desk. I'll walk you through the changes."

Nervous, they lined up as Issy moved behind the desk. She placed the cardboard box by her bare feet and lifted a red whiteboard marker. Randomly working through the grid, she moved the items back to their original placement, mentally making a note of whether they had been correct or not. They'd done okay. Some of the items they'd been certain off were incorrect, one being Caitlin's. But she didn't point any fingers. The shame each girl would feel would be enough. Issy didn't need to cause issues between the recruits. She'd be reporting back individual assessments to Victoria and Trey anyway.

Having moved all items back to their original place, but one, she placed her hands to the desk and looked at each of the girls.

"By not telling you the specific layout of the items before you turned around, I made your plan ineffective. When on a mission, tasks may not be able to be divided individually. As twenty is a number easily divided by two, it would have been more effective for you to split the items in half between four of you. The fifth person could have been assigned the middle portion in general. Usually it is the collection of items in the middle that is most easily ignored or forgotten as the eye is drawn to either end. Despite the panic I saw, you girls have done well enough. But there is one more change that none of you have identified. Before I tell you, can anyone point it out to me?"

The recruits looked confused as they looked back down to the items. Giving them a few minutes, Issy reached her hand out and slowly turned the apple back around.

"Sometimes the smallest of changes can cause the most issues. On a mission, you have to be aware of every security camera and whether it is pointed at you, or not. It may not be at first, but it could move at any time. It's only a slight movement, so is unnoticeable to an untrained eye. But it's something we must be acutely aware of."

A little shocked by the small detail, they all suddenly felt nervous. There was a lot they didn't know. They'd learnt a great deal, but nothing that would prepare them for how to deal with people. Issy had the experience that they would eventually learn over time themselves. But the help was appreciated by them all.

"Okay. That's all for today. I guess I'll see you all soon enough."

Lifting her shoes, she walked from the room, Max leaning against the wall outside. He'd arrived a few minutes ago, waiting to escort Issy back to Victoria. Other ghosts arrived to take the recruits to their next class.

"Sebastian wasn't too impressed with the recruits performances."

"No. I expected a little more from them too. But it's a benchmark. I told you they weren't prepared for missions."

"Caitlin didn't get a perfect score, but she showed authority and command over the other recruits. You'll make it clear she's at the top of the leader board."

"No. Ciara is at the top. For now."

"She wasn't top of the memory tests."

"She went first, so was at a disadvantage. But she showed confidence to speak up in the group task. Even though it could have got Sophie in trouble, she spoke against her. Which she was correct in doing so. She got them an extra point. She also helped fill in most of the items in the middle section of the arrangement. Those are most often forgotten. At some point I'd like to test something with her."

"What are you thinking?"

"I've seen it in other classes too, but her brain seems to operate both her left and right side equally. Somewhat like me."

"Her Father is an aerospace engineer and her Mother a wildlife photographer. There may be some hereditary elements."

"I'd like a file on them and any testing you've done on her so far."

"You aren't privileged to such information."

"I can't help then."

"I'll speak to Sebastian. Now tell me about Sophie."

"She was the calmest through the task. Her body temperature hardly changed through the class despite the increased stress of the tasks. She'll do well in changing-situation missions. Her observational skills in the individual rounds were good. She was joint top with Ruby and Emma. But as you saw, she was confident about that blue shoe, which was clearly wrong. Even though her confidence was knocked, she did a relatively good job of moving on. I'd be interested in seeing her in a simulated mission scenario. Sienna and Summer were the opposite. They didn't do so well individually, but they were some of the more useful components in the group task. I've noticed in our other classes, that they aren't so confident when working alone. But they apply their abilities more when in small groups. They'd benefit more from private classes along with the whole ones."

"I can have them pulled out of one of the other classes for twenty minutes every few days to work with you."

"Do the same with Ciara and Paige."

"What about Hayley?"

"She was probably the best overall performance wise. I'd rate her fourth in the individual challenge, behind Sophie, Emma and Ruby. But third in the group task. She didn't do poorly in either."

"What are your rankings?"

"For the individual task, Emma, Sophie, Ruby, Hayley, Ciara, Caitlin, Paige, Sienna then Summer. Based on performance in the group task, Ciara, Summer, Hayley, Paige, Sienna, Caitlin, Emma, Sophie then Ruby. But to fill out a leader board, I have to take into consideration their overall approach at completing each task. So, it would be Ciara, Caitlin, Hayley, Paige, Sophie, Emma, Summer, Ruby then Sienna."

"I'll have that noted and the overall leader board updated."

"We agreed that this class wouldn't be part of the leader board. I agreed to ranking the recruits at the end of each class, but it wouldn't be a pass or fail situation."

"Sebastian didn't agree."

"I refuse to rank the recruits in any future class then."

"I'm sure he'll have a word with you about that. But for now, you have reports to fill out. Then you'll be taken back to your room. You'll no longer participate in usual classes. You shall train alone with Mr Pineda. Between training, you will plan classes for the recruits, and monitor their progress in their other classes. You know them better than we do. You have their trust. We can't send any of them out on a mission before they are ready. It will set the program back otherwise."

"So its official. I'm one of you."

"In a way. Welcome to the team, Isabella."


	24. Individuals

**Individuals**

_Bella's POV_

_24th May_

I had spent the morning training with Trey and sitting with Victoria and Sebastian, planning Mission Prep classes. They gave me almost everything I wanted. Other than when I asked to take them outside on a test mission. After explaining through my plan, and conditions, they submitted. Sebastian was starting to believe that I was on their side. I could see it in his eyes.

Sitting, meditating in the middle of my floor, I opened my eyes as the door was opened. Dean stood looming in the doorway, a cardboard box in hand.

"Files on the recruits. You have them till lunch is over."

He placed the box down and pushed it across to me. As soon as he was gone, I lifted the lid off. On the top of the stack of yellow folders was Caitlin's. Uncrossing my legs, I turned around to face my bed. I placed the box beside me and Caitlin's file on top of my bed.

Name: Caitlin Jessica Goldberg

Born: 15th March 2003

Her entire medical history was included. Charts plotting her weight and height for the first three years of her life were included. All vaccinations she had received were documented. Her report cards from before she had been taken were copied in. Pages of progress reports from after she was taken filled the rest of the file. Some sections were redacted. But it was a good read. Enlightening in some ways.

Back home, Caitlin had a sister two years older. A sister who skipped a grade because of her intelligence. Caitlin had spent the first ten years of her life trying to live up to the expectations of her sister. And she'd done well in her own right. Given the chance, she'd have been likely to get into any Ivy League she wanted. Her personality was exactly what the Ghosts would have been looking for. This place is perfect for her. She had everything going for her here. She was top of the class, only now being challenged. She had no older sister to compete against. No parents with standards. Even though the Ghosts have standards and expectations, Caitlin had the confidence required in this place to meet those expectations.

The knowledge of her sister was useful. No wonder she didn't like me so much, I'd be a similar age to her sister. I was a reminder of her. A reminder that there was someone better out in the world. And the truth was, there was always someone better. I'm good. I know I am. But somewhere, there's someone better than me. I just hope I never get on their bad side.

Placing Caitlin's file down, I lifted the next in the box.

Name: Summer Williams

Born: 19th March 2003

Summer was the second daughter of three to two lawyers from California. Comfortable life. Safe. Private school education. Nothing particularly interesting. Having an older and younger sister would have influenced her ability to work well with others. Growing up, she had learnt how to feed off of peers that were younger and older than her. That I'd seen here.

Name: Ciara Aimee Montgomery

Born: 28th March 2003

Along with all the medical records and school history, Ciara's file had a report on both her parents. Her Father, Jason, had degrees in Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering. Previously having worked for several car companies before moving to NASA. He had a high intelligence but diagnosed OCD and mild ADHD, having experienced periods of hyper-focus when working. A difficult personality type to live with. Which is why it wasn't a surprise that his first wife had left him. But Ciara's Mother was the complete opposite. Her free natured attitude had taken her travelling straight out of High School. By 24 she was an established wildlife and travel photographer. Whilst working on an advertising project for NASA, she met Jason. They married two years later.

With one being a strong right brained thinker and the other far left, Ciara was born with so much potential. Her ability to process details and the whole picture at once was her using both sides of her brain equally. A little direction and guidance and she should be able to enhance that ability tenfold.

Name: Hayley Courtney Beaumont

Born: 30th March 2003

Beaumont, I knew that name. It was late 2013, December 12th, the youngest daughter of the Beaumont family disappeared when on a school trip. The Beaumont's were billionaire entrepreneurs, making their fortune in new tech and investments. They had six children, but it was young Hayley that went missing. It wasn't like the Ghosts to take a high-profile child. The family poured millions into searching for their daughter; offering up a 100,000-dollar reward for any useful information regarding what happened. Nothing had come of it though. I hadn't known that they'd been taking children so soon after we'd left. Just six months.

Name: Emma Louise Davis

Born: 12th April 2003

Parents both teachers but she tested an IQ of 127 at the age of five. I could have guessed as much from her performances in our more academic classes. The Ghosts had tested her again two years ago and she'd jumped to a 152. A genius. Something I'd picked up on from her low EQ. Your Emotional Quotient is your ability to process emotions. There were times when she'd be aware of how she should be feeling, but there were no markers of any emotion behind her actions. It's not that they don't feel. They just struggle recognising and processing what they are feeling. I'd be interested in her being tested again.

Name: Sienna Judith Tanner

Born: 21st April 2003

What to say about Sienna? She'd had a regular childhood. Her parents earnt enough for the three of them to be comfortable. She'd played little league softball for two years and taken dance classes between the age of 4 and 7. Like with the others, she had been taken at age 10. The Upper class consisted of forty girls. At first, she'd struggled. After a year, she started improving to the point that she was doing well. But once the class split into the nine, I know now, her lack of physical and mental ability, compared to the others became more prominent.

Name: Sophie Dana Ellis

Born: 1st May 2003

Born to Diane and Robert Ellis, older sister to Samantha. Musical from a young age, playing the piano, violin, and cello. She had a strong voice too. She wasn't as naturally smart though. Her efforts had been noticed and appreciated. Which was the only reason she was in this class.

Name: Ruby Jane Daniels

Born: 8th May 2003

The quietest of the group. She'd gone under my radar most of the time. I knew she was there. She didn't do particularly well in anything. And she had been at the bottom of the leader board a handle full of times, not enough to be an issue though.

Name: Paige Emily Jordan

Born: 10th May 2003

The youngest of the batch; but there was only two months between them all anyway. She'd been bottom of the leader board a lot. I'd seen her pain when we were training. The aggressive punishments were difficult to live with. That was the point though. If they didn't hurt, the recruits wouldn't care to be at the bottom.

These files provided me with a lot of new information and explanations for what I'd seen myself. It also reminded me of how normal these girls should be. They weren't like me. They hadn't been born different. They'd been chosen to be different. Out of the millions of children across the country, these girls had been taken.

I hated that I had to partake in training them. I despised what the Ghosts were doing, but there was nothing I could do to stop them. Not yet. I wasn't strong enough to take them on myself. And Trey… I didn't know what was going on with Trey. I wasn't so sure where his loyalties lay.

Sitting in my classroom, I waited for Caitlin to arrive. Dean had gone to pull her from her class, not telling her why. Her walk over here would get her adrenaline pumping. The fear of something unknown happening would terrify her. No matter how well prepared they would be for a mission, studying building layouts, watching CCTV, reading up on employees and targets, they'd be walking into an unknown. Something could change within the minutes of you walking into a building. I'd gone on a mission with two of my other recruits, and before we'd gone into the business block to retrieve data, a water pipe burst along the corridor the servers were on. The carefully crafted plan went out the window and the entire mission was improvised from there. It was still successful, but only because we stayed calm under the changing pressures.

The door was opened, and Caitlin stepped into the room, taking a small breath. She was relieved to see me and not Victoria. I didn't smile at her though. Her relief was good, but I wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"Sit, Recruit."

As she sat, Dean leaned through the door, smiling at me.

"Have fun."

He closed the door with a bang, making Caitlin jump. She was on edge again.

"You've been taken out of class to have a one on one with me after your performance in my class the other day. I wasn't all that impressed if I'm being honest. You achieved only five correct changes out of nine. And your contribution to the group task wasn't great either."

"I know I wasn't as good as some of the others. I was just overwhelmed by the challenge. I didn't expect you to layout the objects like that."

"That was the point. If you were good at it, there wouldn't have been any point in me wasting all our time getting you to do it. It was mostly a benchmark for me to gauge where you all are."

"So, what happens next?"

"My classes will continue. And those I think will benefit most from individual mentorship, will get it. You, Caitlin, are not one of those."

Her face showed minute, but visible signs that she felt rejected.

"You make a great recruit when working by yourself, Caitlin. That is not where you are lacking. It is your ability to adapt to the unexpected that needs work. I've designed tests specific for you. Neither you, or your other recruits will know who is being tested by each task I set. Some will test you all in the same way, some in different, and some will only test a few of you. Eventually you will learn to process information and changing situations quickly enough that your fear is undetectable."

"I can already do that. I've been deceiving Victoria for months."

Chuckling, I shook my head.

"No. You haven't. She only makes you think you do. That way she is in control. It's difficult to fully conceal feelings. Everyone has tells. Some are easier to read. And you, Caitlin, are an open book, to me at least. As soon as you saw it was me in here, you were relieved, but when Dean spoke, you became anxious. You were then disappointed that I didn't want to see you individually. I can see it all, Caitlin. There's no point trying to deceive me."

Her eyes were wide as she stared across at me.

"I was part of the Novum-X project. We aren't just cursed with gifts. We are advanced in every way. Most people only use 75% of their brain power. Some can unlock maybe another 5% of that over time. The hope is that all recruits here will eventually be able to access at least 87% of their brains. My fellow recruits and I use more than 100% of our brain. We have extra synapses that aren't normal. Which is why, no matter what you'd try, I'd always beat you. I was brought into your class to give you a challenge. You were never expected to beat me."

I watched the information sink in. Standing up, I walked around my desk and lifted the cloth that lay over it. I'd set out a 4 by 4 grid, sixteen items in each square.

"I may not want to work with you individually, but I want to test each of you individually. Stand up."

She stood immediately, her eyes not leaving the table of objects.

"What do you see?"

"A bunch of random items lain out in a square."

"At first look, yes. But each item has a pair. Some are more obvious than others. I want you to tell me all eight pairs and why they are pairs. Some items are deceptive in their pairing. When you list off the eight pairs, I will tell you if you are correct or not. I won't tell you which pairs are correct, but we shall keep going until you get all eight right. Start whenever you are ready."

She stared down at the grid and focused in on the test. I waited patiently, leaning against the desk.

"The shark and dolphin. They're both ocean animals."

Sitting still, I subtly tapped my right index finger against the desk.

"The frog and cat, both are land animals."

Tapping my right finger again, I glanced round at her face. She hadn't noticed, too concentrated on the items.

"The apple and tomato. They're both red and fruits."

"Pick one reasoning."

She furrowed her brow and shook her head. Analysing the other items, she came to a conclusion.

"They are red fruits."

I tapped my left finger once.

"And the apricot and mango are both orange fruits."

Tapping my left finger again, my lips pressed into a tight line.

"The string and chalk could be used to draw a perfect circle."

My left finger moved.

"The nail file and ring. They're both to do with fingers."

My right finger moved.

"The hair pin and the hair tie are both obviously for your hair."

I tapped my right finger for the fourth time.

"The shoe and pliers?"

"Why?"

"Ummmm, they're the odd ones out?"

My right finger moved again

"You got three out of eight. Try again."

It took her another seven tries before she'd matched all the pairs, just two of the reasonings out. But they were harder to identify. I stopped her there though. We were running out of time and she'd got close enough.

"Once everyone has completed a similar task, I will reveal the results. I couldn't possibly comment on how well you have done as I have no one to compare you too."

"Okay."

"You understand that you cannot tell the others about any of this. Not even meeting me. You tell them that you were taken for a doctor's assessment. Each of them must be as unaware as you were for this to be fair. And if anyone finds out, you will be punished. I don't want to see that happen, so you have to keep your mouth shut."

"I will."

"Good."

Just as expected, there was a knock on the door.

"Dean will take you back to your classes now."

The door was opened, and Dean entered. Caitlin silently stood up and followed him out. I was left sitting alone at my desk. I thought it had gone okay. Caitlin acted exactly how I had predicted. She was focused solely on the task at hand, blocking out everything around her. She only thought of finishing quickly, assuming that was how I'd be assessing them. I'd consider the time, of course, but it was more about the number of attempts taken to complete the task. Accuracy is more important than speed. If, when on a mission, Caitlin makes a mistake, there isn't a second chance. It could cost her, her life, or the life of another.


	25. Fear

**Fear**

_Bella's POV_

_25th May_

After going through the same test, with the same objects and conditions, with Hayley, Ruby and Emma, I was eager to meet with Ciara the next morning. She was calm when she was let into my classroom. I watched her eyes rake over my covered desk.

"Good morning, Recruit. Please, take a seat."

She sat just as the others had done, but she gave me a small smile.

"I have to admit, I am very curious about you, Ciara. You aren't like the others. Not entirely. I've seen that you process information differently compared them. And I think that's partly to do with your Father."

Her eyes widened and they became glossy with tears.

"What do you know about my Dad?"

"That he's got a high IQ, OCD and ADHD."

"Have you seen him?"

"Ciara, like you, I'm not allowed out of here. I've only read a file that Victoria gave me. I'll never be free again, neither will you. But I assure you, he's safe."

"He's okay, though?"

"Yes. And he will be as long as you continue cooperating. So we need to get on with today's class. What I am doing with each of the recruits is test them individually. It's just a simple test for me to determine your thinking patterns."

Explaining through the test, I let it carry through just as I had done so with the others. When I tapped my finger against the desk the first time, it didn't appear as though she'd noticed. But after her second answer, her head tilted to the side. She paused for a moment. She was figuring it out. Working through the items, she got half of them correct the first time. On her second attempt, she took more time considering the pairings. All of them were correct, her reasonings slightly out. I allowed it. I'd purposefully made the specific reasonings obscure.

"Test completed. Well done. Dean will be here in a moment to take you back to classes."

"Did I do well?"

"Yes. You did. I'm not surprised though. I expected your response to this test."

"Why?"

"As I had been saying before, each of us inherit traits from both our parents. Your Mother is left brained, and your Father a strong right. Whilst most take traits predominantly from one parent, you are seemingly 50/50. So the creative parts of your brain are equally as strong as the analytical parts. Which is why your observational skills are better than the other recruits."

"So what happens next? Am I going to be sent out on a mission?"

"Not yet. My next job, in regards to you, is to help you learn how to control yourself, and stay calm under pressure. You could be a top Agent one day, Ciara. You just need a little guidance and support first."

"Thank you. I know how difficult…"

The heavy metal door was opened, and she cut her sentence short. But I knew what she was going to say. She understood. She understood how hard this was for me. Dean took her away, leaving me alone in my classroom.

Sitting behind the cleared desk, I started writing out my report. After a few minutes, the door was opened again. I wasn't expecting anyone. But from the time between each footstep, the temperature of the body, and the whiff of testosterone, I knew it was Sebastian. I didn't look up. I didn't care to. He strode into the room, leaving the door open. Standing in front of my desk, he leaned his fists onto it.

"She's ready."

"No, she's not."

"We need them out there."

"Send them out, and they die. Then you're back to square one. You gave me the job of preparing them for missions, you have to trust that I will tell you when they are ready."

Placing my pen down, I folded my hands together and looked up at him. He stared at me, trying to figure me out.

"We have a mission coming up. I trust you'll have one of the recruits ready to take with you."

"When?"

"26 days."

"I'll have them ready. Only when we've run the simulation though."

"It's being arranged for the 17th of June. That will give two days to prepare the winning recruit for the mission."

"Works for me."

He turned to the door, walking over to it. Before he left, he stopped.

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd be one of us. It's good to have you on board, Isabella."

I gave him a smile, showing him I was on side. I may not know when I'm fooling Victoria, but I could easily read Sebastian. And I had him right where I wanted him.

Late in the evening, I had all the recruits gathered in my classroom. They'd each completed the test. Their results were varied. Really varied. I let them all sit in silence for a few minutes, causing their nerves to grow. I had a squeezy ball in my hand, bouncing it against the wall. The loud bangs it made when it hit the floor and wall, put them on edge.

"In less than a month, one of you will be chosen to go on a mission with me. I have to prepare you for that. And I have to say, there is a lot of work to do. The individual testing that I have carried out these last two days has proved that if any of you went out on a mission tomorrow, you would all either be caught, or killed."

I glared along the line of them, needing them to understand the severity of what was going on. They didn't realise how close their first missions were. All they'd heard for the last six years was about becoming Agents. Missions were like myths to them, only talked about, never seen.

"You don't get a second chance when you're out on a mission. You make a mistake, cops could be on you in minutes. If you get caught, you will be eliminated… for good. You won't be arrested; you won't be rescued. You'll be taken out. We can't have any loose cannons. Bodies are quieter than Agents."

They all looked terrified. Good. I can't teach them to control their fear if they aren't scared.

"Summer."

Her eyes widened and her fingers gripped her chair.

"Fourteen minutes, thirty seven seconds, nine attempts."

I watched as some of the others relaxed, knowing they hadn't done the worst in the class.

"Paige. Fourteen minutes, twenty two seconds, ten attempts."

She looked down, hiding her shame.

"Hayley, thirteen minutes, fifty, nine attempts. Sienna, thirteen minutes forty-one, twelve attempts. Caitlin, ten minutes fifty-six, eight attempts. Sophie, ten minutes fifty-three, seven attempts. Ruby, ten minutes thirty-nine, eight attempts. Emma, nine minutes six, five attempts. And Ciara, two minutes three seconds, two attempts."

The others all turned to stare at her, shocked by how well she'd done compared to them.

"My job isn't to test your intelligence, it's to prepare you for missions. I thought I'd spent enough time telling you all how important the power of observation is. You didn't listen. I all but gave each of you the answers. Only Ciara figured out how. Every time each of you made a pairing, I tapped a finger. If I tapped my right index finger against the desk, you were incorrect. If I tapped my left, you were correct. All of you were too focused on the test that you didn't notice. When you are given a target you have to be focused on it. But you need to be observant too. CCTV cameras, security, staff. You need to know everything in a split second. There are too many factors to be in control off when going into a mission. You will be prepared for as much as possible, but when it comes down to it, you are on your own. I will continue to test you throughout the next three weeks. If I don't think you are keeping up, you will be dropped from this class, and put on hold as Agents."

Bouncing the ball, I turned away from them.

"Figure out how much you want this. I'll give all of you the skills you need to be great Agents. You just need to use them."

I pressed the call button on my desk.

"It's in your best interests to step it up."

The heavy door opened and two of the guards came in, escorting the girls away. As they left, Trey came in. He closed the door behind him.

"You're doing the right thing, Is."

"I know. They'll be good Agents one day, they just need a little more help getting there."

I perched on the side of my desk. He stood in front of me, placing his hands to my knees.

"Once you've got them out there, we'll be going out together again. Sebastian is making us into the dynamic duo."

"Sounds fun."

He tapped the side of my knee and held his hand out to me.

"Come on. I have to take you back to your room."

Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair.

"I was hoping to run for a bit."

"Sorry Is, I've been told to take you to your room. We can run tomorrow."

"Fine."

Taking his hand, I hopped down from my desk. My hand stayed pressed against his as we walked through the facility to my isolated room. He opened my door to let me in. Unusually, he came in and closed the door behind us.

"Issy, we need to talk about how it's got to be. What happened on our last mission, we may have got away with it, but we can't have this tension between us."

"I know, Trey. And I'm sorry. I just needed time."

I stood in front of him and placed my hand to his chest.

"We're a good team, Trey. And you get me. You know what it's like to be us. That mission, I wasn't in the right headspace. I was adjusting back to this way of life. I was angry at you for not telling me about Dr Cullen. I needed time to figure out what I wanted. And you were right, you know. I do love you."

He grinned down at me, his hand sliding onto my cheek. We stared at each other for a few moments. Slowly leaning up, I pressed my lips to his. He stayed calm at first, letting me control the kiss. But his hands came up to my waist, pulling me into his chest. Running my fingers into his hair, I moaned softly. I let my hands grab at him, telling him exactly what I wanted.

He lifted me up, walking over to the metal slab of a bed. Laying me back on it, he pulled at his shirt, throwing it onto the floor. Climbing over me, his hands grabbed my thighs, holding them open around his hips. I shifted my shoulders, pulling my top and sports bra over my head. His lips were suddenly on my breasts, kissing my soft skin. Moaning, I pulled at his hair. My legs squeezed around his hips and I slid my hands down his back. His lips moved up to my neck, sucking on it as his hands pushed my shorts down my legs. I was naked underneath him. Kissing under my jaw, he pressed his body down against mine, him naked now too. My fingers curled into his back, trying to pull him up. He got the idea. One of his large hands held my thigh in a tight grip, the other running up and down my body. He thrust up into me, grunting into my neck. I moaned loudly, digging my nails into his back. Rocking into me, he groaned. Trailing his lips down my body, he pulled my nipple between his teeth. My back arched, my head tilting to the side. With my mouth wide open, I continued moaning. I could feel myself nearing the verge of pleasure. Lifting my knees around his hips, I tangled my fingers into his hair.

He was good at this, really good, but all I could imagine was Edward. He was the only one I wanted to be with.

Trey's mouth widened around my breast, grunting as his hips moved faster. Closing my eyes tighter, I let out one long moan as I came heavily around him. He moved faster, breathing heavily over my chest before he sank his length deep inside of me, exploding.

He held himself above me, staring down at me. I lifted my head, pecking his lips. He kissed me again before sitting up, pulling his clothes back on.

"We should have done that a long time ago, Issy."

"Sorry."

Sitting up, I pressed my chest into his back and touched my lips to his neck.

"At least we've done it now. We can have more fun in the future."

"I look forward to that. But I have to go. They'll notice if I haven't left soon."

"I know."

"When we're on missions together, we won't have to be so careful. Until then, we have to be discreet."

He twisted round, pecking my lips.

"Sleep. We have a lot of training to do tomorrow."

"Sure."

Grinning, he stood up and walked out of the room, the heavy door closing and locking behind him.

**_Third Person_**

Victoria and Sebastian were waiting for Trent to join them. He made his way through the dark hallways, pushing open the door of Sebastian's office.

"She fell for it."

Grinning across at him, Sebastian slammed his hand on the table.

"We have her right where we want her."

"She's come around to our cause."

"Do you trust her?"

"Issy could fool you, but she couldn't fool me. She's with us."


	26. Test

**Test**

_17th June _

_Third Person_

"Tomorrow is the most important day of your lives. Not only are your skills under examination, but your trust and loyalty. We've spent the last three days preparing for this. We've thrown a lot at you in such a short amount of time. You've studied your covers, you've learnt the company. The mission has many layers to it. Intel gathering and identification. You need to find the contact. Identify them, extract their intel, and get out. Just because it's a drinks party, doesn't mean there won't be heavy security there. There will be lots of high-rolling investors present, so security will be visible and undercover. Valets, waiters, bar staff. One wrong word and it could be all over. They know they have a whistle-blower in their midst, so they will be searching too. You need to be constantly thinking about everything. The CCTV, the exits, the people, each other. You will feel the pressure. I am supposed to stand here and tell you that the only important thing is the completion of the mission. It isn't. All you need to remember is this... Don't get caught. Living to see another mission is more important. You are all going on the same mission tomorrow, so if any of you feel like you're about to be exposed, leave, and let someone else complete the mission. Knowing when to get out is respectable. And it will save your life. Yes, the mission is a competition. But becoming the first Agent isn't everything. I wish I could come with you all tomorrow, to keep you safe, but I'm not allowed. They want to see how you do alone, without a safety net. So it's up to you. Whatever you decide tomorrow is the right decision. Do not doubt yourselves. They wouldn't be letting you out if they didn't think you ready. I believe each of you can do this. It's time you believe that you can. If you don't, you may not be back here again… Tonight, you need to sleep. And tomorrow, you finish preparation. Next time you see me, one of you will be given your first mission."

The mission was simple, find the whistle-blower, extract their intel, and get out undetected. It wasn't that hard. Not for a seasoned Agent. But the recruits had never been on a mission before. They hadn't even ventured out of the facility since first arriving. It was going to be interesting to say the least.

None of the recruits slept well that night. They each tossed and turned in their beds, nervous by what lay ahead. Marched from their dormitory, they showered and dressed in their usual training clothes. A handler had been assigned to each of them and with their handler, they covered the key notes of the mission. Victoria made rounds, leaving off the wardrobes for the recruits.

Caitlin was playing the widow of a wealthy French investor.

Summer, a lowly employee at the tech company hosting the evening. Ciara a waiter. Hayley was the daughter of a hard-nosed financial advisor. Emma, a Harvard Alumni with a law degree. Sienna, a waiter. Sophie, the sister of a big game hunter. Ruby a waiter. And Paige, the wife of a young business investor who was unable to attend the gala.

They each had their wardrobes specifically chosen by Victoria and Issy to reflect the roles they were playing. The recruits changed, having to slip into character immediately. Issy had advised that when in costume, they assume their cover to separate themselves from the mission. It made living with what they had to do a lot easier.

One by one, they were each led to the garage and sat in the back of blacked out cars. The cars filed out one by one, driving for miles in circles before pulling up to a busy, five-star hotel. Ciara, Sienna and Ruby arrived first. They slipped in the service door, instantly blending in with the hired staff workers. As everything was still being set up, they started interacting with the other young servers. They knew that serving staff often spoke quite freely about the conversations they'd overhear, and the guests they served. In that moment though, it felt incredible to be able to speak to people other than their fellow recruits or teachers. But the conversations they were having were all based on their cover stories. Each girl had a backstory; where they grew up, where they went to school, who their families were, what they were doing working a party, what they wanted to do in life. Despite wanting to be a guest at the party, the girls knew that they were the ones that were more likely to overhear important information. Staff go unnoticed at these sort of events, being able to walk among the guests, listening in on conversations.

The guests started arriving, lifting drinks from the open bar. As the event hall started filling up, Caitlin's car pulled up outside. The blacked-out door was opened, and she stared out at the bright light. There were people milling about the hotel entrance, waiting on cabs, the valet, luggage. She took a deep breath, pushing down her nerves. Plastering a smile across her face, she stepped out of the car. She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress, showing off her curves. Whilst it accentuated her breasts, it was long enough to reach just above her knees. But the strappy stilettos extended her long legs. Holding her head in the air, she strode forwards into the lavish hotel. There was a rope and sign guiding the guests to the ballroom. She took one of the welcome champagne glasses from the servers by the door, wandering into the room. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, identifying the CCTV cameras and exits. She also scanned the people.

Trying to identify a contact knowing only little about them was one of the most difficult tasks they could face. They had to assess minute behaviourisms that would indicate nervousness or fear. There was a codeword, Salem. They were only allowed to use the word once and only once. If talking to the contact, they would reply with 'Turner house'. If wrong, they had to excuse themselves from the room and their car would take them back to the base. They were all wearing ear comms, but unlike on missions, they wouldn't receive any support from the command centre. They were out on their own.

Over the next hour, the other girls arrived, mingling in with the guests. Terrified, but determined, they all kept their eyes and ears open, searching for anything that would point them to their contact. The ballroom was now full of people with heavy wallets and cheque books at the ready.

Ciara and Ruby had found their confidence hiding in plain sight. They gracefully moved around the ballroom, trays of food and drinks balanced in their hands. Going unseen by all the guests but their fellow recruits, they listened in on all conversations. Some interesting stories, but mostly business talk. In preparation for the mission, each girl had learnt everything there was to know about the multibillion-dollar technology company that was hosting the event. It meant they could join in on conversations and listen in whilst understanding what was being said.

An hour into the full flow of the party, a long black limousine pulled up outside. A stunning bleach blonde woman stepped out. Her feet were held by brand new Louboutin's, her legs bare until the middle of her thighs were wrapped by tight red material. Her dress was small, but not in a slutty way, it was more sophisticated glamour, the gold necklace and bangles complementing it. Her right hand held a diamond ring on her index finger, two gold ring adorned her left. Also in her hand, she held a thin black clutch purse. Her hair was straightened down around her face, long enough to reach her waist. She strode into the hotel as if she owned the place.

"Gary! What an amazing party. You are sure to entice a few cheque books out just because of the open bar."

"Camilla, I am glad you could make it."

Gary McArtney was the CEO of the tech company. He was an older man, in his late fifties, and slightly portly from all the drinking he'd done over the years. But it was his money and hard-nosed business acumen that attracted attention to himself. He hadn't built his company up with a kind heart. Anyone could walk into the office one morning and be fired on the spot, and that's why he did so well. The fear of being dismissed created competition in his employees, pushing each of them to perform better. His home life wasn't all that different to his work life. He had a wife, of nearly forty years, an adult son and daughter, and another two daughters with two different Mistresses eight years ago. He had always led the life he wanted, taking everything he set his eyes upon and didn't care for feelings. His wife hadn't left him, and she never would. She let him carry on with his multiple affairs as she had some of her own. It was the money and lifestyle that only kept her there.

Pressing kisses on either side of their faces in greeting, Camilla lifted a champagne glass of a passing server. She held it up to him, her strong red lips pursed together.

"You sure know how to please some people."

Camilla was a young woman, in her late twenties. She'd come into Gary's life nearly a month ago, bumping into each other at a coffee shop. Her stunning appearance sucked him in immediately. And he decided to make her his next quest. She'd moved to town only two months before, taking time to travel the world, thanks to the inheritance of her Father's money. Her plan to leave after three months had changed. Instead of flying to Europe alone, Gary had offered to take her to his country home in Italy for a few weeks. She hadn't yet accepted, making his game more exciting.

"What's the point in celebrating another great year if there isn't plenty of booze flowing?"

"Well said."

Staying by his side, Gary introduced Camilla to many of his colleagues and investors, knowing the beautiful blonde would loosen their wallets. His company was doing extraordinarily well. The last quarter had been a record breaker in sales figures. But the tech industry was always growing, always changing. The more money he had to work with, the more likely he was going to continue beating his competitors.

Hayley had been in conversation with an employee, not high up the chain of command, trying to extract any clues from him. Having spent twenty minutes listening to his hatred of Mr McArtney, she was convinced he was the contact. Slipping the codeword into the conversation, she waited for the return. But it never came. She realised she had been wrong and immediately became engulfed with fear. Near her and having heard the last few minutes of the conversation, Ciara approached her, seeing her fear and panic.

"Excuse me, Miss Grant, but there is a call for you in reception."

Staring into Ciara's eyes, Hayley couldn't speak. But she took a couple of breaths and nodded her head. Ciara's support helped clear her head enough for her to string a few words together.

"I'm sorry. I'll be back in a moment."

She worked so hard to stop herself from running to the door. Her eyes stayed down the entire time, only lifting when she got out in the fresh air. As the black car pulled up, she looked around. It was dark out, and there wasn't much to see past the hotel. But she could make out the line of mountains in the distance, the moon shining down on their peaks. Even if she ran, even if she screamed for help, it wouldn't matter. They'd track her down before she could leave the building. So she silently climbed into the back of the car, her handler sitting waiting for her.

Some of the other girls inside had seen what Ciara had done and each took a turn approaching her and thanking her. She felt good. She had feared that once the mission started they would all turn on each other. They were a family. And she couldn't bare to think about anything happening to any of them. If she didn't win the mission, but kept each of them safe, she would be happy.

The next two hours passed with Summer, Sienna, Sophie, Ruby and Paige all leaving. It was just Caitlin, Ciara and Emma left. Each had a few guests that they suspected. But none were certain. And aware that one of them had to complete the mission, they weren't going to risk being wrong and reducing the chances of them being successful. Caitlin made a decision to work with the two of them. Three heads were better working together than separately. The only problem was that it was against the rules. So she needed a way for them to communicate their findings without speaking them. As a guest, she approached Emma, introducing her cover self. A little shocked and scared, Emma kept the conversation light, confused by what she was doing. But Ciara had lifted a pen earlier in the evening, having tucked it into her purse. And there were plenty of serviettes lying about on the tables around the room. Standing by one, she placed her glass of wine down. None of them had been drinking. They'd learnt how to make it appear as though they were, without actually consuming it. She wrote down three names one a serviette, continuing her discussion with Emma. Sliding it across to her, she watched her eyes flick over it. Her finger slowly drew a circle around the second and third names, showing her suspicions too. Caitlin gave her a small nod and smile, taking the serviette back. She crossed out the first name before balling it up in her hand. Bidding Emma a goodbye, she made her way around the room. Ciara had watched the interaction, confused and a little worried. But as Ciara approached, she held her tray out to a waving hand. Standing beside her, Caitlin placed the serviette to the tray, her half empty glass over the corner of it.

"I'd like a fresh glass please. This one appears to have something in it."

Glancing down, Ciara became confused by the two names. Neither she had suspected. And one she was almost certain couldn't be. Her fingers carefully moved the glass across the tray, pretending to balance it out as her finger pointed to the last name.

"My apologises, Ma'am. Is there anything else I could get you? We have a range of cocktails that are a little different this evening."

Understanding her confusion by the name, Caitlin lifted her hand to brush her hair behind her ear. As she did so, she tapped her earpiece three times. Earlier in the evening, she thought she had seen a similar earpiece in the person's ear.

"I'll just have another red."

"Of course."

Ciara's eyes had darted to the suspected before she nodded confirmation to Caitlin. Returning to the long bar in the corner of the room, Ciara poured out the glass and stuffed the serviette into the bin. She lifted a fresh tray of drinks and watched as Caitlin made her approach.

"Mr McArtney, I wanted to introduce myself to you this evening. I think you knew my husband, Michael Harding. He invested in your manufacturing plant that opened in France three years ago."

"I recognise the name, but I don't remember him being married. And I couldn't forget a face that beautiful."

She gave him a flirty smile and lifted her chin.

"We weren't married at the time you did business together."

"Is Mr Harding here tonight?"

Her face fell and she let out a small breath.

"You didn't hear? Michael died in a plane accident last year."

"I am so sorry."

He took her hand in both of his, comforting her sorrow.

"I miss him greatly, but I know he would have wanted me to continue his passion of investing. He always loved putting his money in building the next big thing. Which is why I am here tonight. I hear you have been having quite the year."

"I have. And I expect another great quarter to come. I've got a few projects to unveil in the next month that I think you would be interested in if you have the time."

"Of course. I would love to hear about what you are working on. And I'll be in town for the next two weeks. Since Michael's passing, I have learnt a great deal about his French heritage. It got me thinking into my own. I found out that one of my ancestors was an accused witch in Salem during the Witch trials. Who would have thought?"

"I know little about the Salem Witch trials myself, but I do love to story of the House of the Seven Gables. It was inspired by the Turner House, built in 1668, in Salem."

"Really?"

Caitlin's eyes lightened, the corners of her lips lifting in triumph.

"I'm sorry, I should have introduced you two. This is Camilla Carter, a close friend of mine. And… I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, Madeline."

Camilla had held her hand out to her, both shaking with a tight squeeze in acknowledgement of the other.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madeline."

"You too, Camilla."

"I'd love to ask you about those Witch trials, a change in conversation would be nice right about now."

"Certainly, but you'll have to excuse me whilst I use the bathroom first."

"I'll join you."

"Why can't women go to the bathroom alone? You know it would be creepy if men went together."

"Oh shhhh, Gary. We just like to go gossip away from your prying ears."

Turning away from him, the two women strode from the ballroom and down to the private bathrooms. Caitlin quickly checked that the stalls were all empty before turning back to the woman. But she was pulling off her stilettos, letting out a long breath.

"I had thought you'd be the one to figure me out first. Well done Caitlin, you've just passed the test."

Pulling the blonde wig off, she revealed the hairnet holding in the head of mahogany hair that was Isabella Swan's.


	27. Trust

**Trust**

_17th June_

_Third Person_

Issy proceeded to pulled the prosthetic facial features off and plucked the coloured contact lenses out. Caitlin stood behind her, staring in shock as the woman she'd believed to be a stranger, the target of the mission, was actually her mentor. Letting her hair fall down her back, Issy scratched her head, the tension of the heavy wig easing.

"You can relax now, Caitlin. It's all over. You did it. You won."

"But you… You can't be… He knows you… He's known Camilla for weeks."

"It was all part of the test. Come on, you'll see."

Leaving the bathroom, she padded bare foot down the corridor, back to the ballroom. Caitlin ran after her, scared. Issy pushed the door open. Everyone in the room turned to her. The sudden silence drew Emma and Ciara's attention. They both looked in the same direction as everyone else, their eyes landing on Issy. Eyes widening, they froze. But Caitlin then stepped in the door, her heart racing. She looked round at everyone staring and took a couple deep breaths.

"None of this is real?"

"No. It was all setup to see how you'd do. You didn't think we were going to send you all out in public without trialling you out first? But you had to believe it was real, or it never would have worked."

Emma made her way through the people, Ciara following her lead. Reaching the front of the room, they looked to Caitlin in fear.

"It's all fake. They're all a part of this. It was just one big test. All orchestrated by Issy."

"Better this way than a real mission. Just look at how many of you are left. If this had been real, some of your fellow recruits would have been exposed."

Everyone else in the room had mobilised, beginning to clear away the tables and mess of the bar. Gary approached the four girls, smiling to Caitlin.

"Well done recruit. You'll make a fine agent one day. All three of you will."

"Thanks John, Sebastian has your car waiting for you. He knows you want to get away quick."

"It was nice working with you again 1-28. Maybe I'll get to again in the near future."

"I'm already pretty booked up these next few months."

The man pecked Issy's cheek before slipping out of the room. The three girls continued staring, still in shock.

"We don't need to be here for the clean-up. But as the successful recruits, you get to stay here tonight. Have a little break from the facility. I'll take you up to your rooms."

They followed her out of the room, Ciara glancing over her shoulder at the clean-up. Leaning over the reception desk, she lifted three key cards from the top of the small stack. Everyone in the building had been involved in the test. They were all ghosts in some regard. The hotel had been closed down for a week under the pretence of renovations in the lead up to the event. Issy took the girls to the elevator, smiling to the Agents that stared at her. Everyone knew of Recruit X1-28. Getting a glimpse of a Novum X recruit had been rare before, and then they had left. So seeing X1-28 walking about, as one of them, was a shocking moment.

Standing in the elevator, the other three stepped in behind her. As the doors closed, she took her earpiece out, showing the girls to do the same.

"You girls broke the rules in trying to help each other. When you're debriefed, they will ask why Caitlin approached you. Tell them that she thought security were suspicious of her. She panicked, so went to both of you to warn you to be careful. Her way of getting out was using the codeword."

She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she turned to look at Caitlin, giving her a pointed look. The elevator doors opened, and she strode out. They followed behind, moving their feet quickly to keep up with her.

"If it were up to me, you'd be commended for the subtle way you communicated. Everyone obviously saw you talking together, but no one noticed you passing the serviette. No one but me."

Stopping by door 582, she stuck the key card in and pushed the door open.

"Ciara, this is you. You aren't allowed to leave the room, but you can go out on the balcony. Your handler will be along shortly for your debrief. There are clothes to change into and you can call reception for some food. I'll be back later to talk to you, just hold yourself together until then."

Ciara walked into the room, looking back to Issy. She gave her a comforting smile before stepping out and letting the door close. She dropped the key card on the floor outside the door. Continuing down the corridor to the next room, she opened the door for Emma. At the next door, she didn't just hold the door open. Instead, she took her into the room. Sitting back on the bed, her body lay back in the comfort.

"What gave me away to you?"

"I saw your earpiece. Why would the CEO's Mistress have an earpiece in unless she was up to something?"

Leaning up on her elbows, she smiled at her.

"I wasn't sure if anyone was going to notice that."

She patted the bed beside her, waiting for Caitlin to sit.

"If I am honest, I am glad you won tonight. I wouldn't tell the others this, but I didn't think they were ready. Not just yet. They don't have the confidence that you do. And going on missions takes a certain mindset. Ciara could do it, she can control her fear. But I know that deep down, hidden out of sight, she would be terrified. I always knew that you'd be the first. From the first time I saw, you, I knew."

Caitlin let herself flop back on the bed, both lying beside each other.

"I never thanked you, Issy."

"What for?"

"Everything. Before you came back, I was top of the class, the favourite. I only thought of myself. I was exactly what they wanted me to be. I was a machine. But you gave me my humanity back. You know, I had a sister. She's out there somewhere, living her life. She'd be your age. I remember her being just like you, always the best at everything she did. And my parents put her on this pedestal because she was different. I tried so hard to be just as good as her, but nothing I did was enough. When I was nine, I competed in the same tennis tournament as her. I got to the final, against her. Of course I lost. There was no 'well done' or 'congratulations' for me. It was all about her winning. Then I was taken. I was brought to this place and I hated it. I missed my freedom, my friends, my family. I missed my life. And I was so angry and scared. But then we were taught all these different things. I was good at them. And for the first time in my life, I was the best at something. Three years I've had little competition. All I strived to do was prove I was as good as those that had been in the Novum X program. I genuinely thought that one day I'd be better than you. But then you walked in the door. Everything I had been, everything I had known changed. I wasn't the best, far from it. I hated you. I really, really did. I thought you were being so mean to me because you didn't like me. You were only like that to push me though, weren't you?"

"I wasn't brought in to do anything other than help all of you. You all had different hurdles that you still had to overcome before being ready for anything like what you faced tonight. Your hurdle was your ego."

"I know. I had become my sister, and the others were me. You reminded me of what it felt like to always come up second. And I needed that. I needed to know that someone was always going to be better than me. I certainly wouldn't want to cross your bad side again. Once was enough for me."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Caitlin. I just…"

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Issy covered her face with her hands.

"It's so tiring… All of this, it's not what I want. You've been here since you were ten. You don't know what it's like to have a life, a real life, with family, friends, school. We escaped, we got out. We got to live our lives. You have no idea what it's like to have that taken away all over again. If I could give you your freedom, Caitlin, if I could take you back to your family, I would. And I plan to one day. But for now, we have to play our parts."

"You have a plan to escape?"

Stunned, Caitlin sat up, staring down at her covered face.

"No. No. But Trey is in contact with one of the others on the outside. We've been planning a rebellion for years. We always knew we would exact revenge on the ghosts one day. I was taken before we could. But I know the others are still working on it. Either we'll have the chance to escape one day, or they'll come in and get us."

"So all of this… it's just an act? You're not really on their side?"

"That depends on what side you're on."

"If I had a choice, I'd want out. I don't want to kill people. I don't want to be a soldier."

"Then I promise to get you out. You and all the others. But until I can, you need to play your part too. No one can know anything about our conversation. Not even Trey."

"Do you not trust him?"

"Honestly, I don't think I can trust anyone anymore."

"So you and him… you're just playing that?"

"In some ways, yes. But I really do love him. What I have with my fellow recruits, it's a family, like you and the girls. You'd do anything for each other. That's me and Trey. We're family. He's been brainwashed though. He's worked for them so long, that he's forgotten what they really are."

"I'm sorry. I always thought you had it good here. You're their star. No one can touch you. And your ability makes you all that more valuable."

"I sleep in solitary confinement. I have ever since I arrived eight months ago. I only spoke to the same three people for months before I joined your class. And even then I was separated from you. Joining their side hasn't changed anything. I'm still in my prison, the only difference is that I'm not in class with you. I spend my days training alone with Trey and planning your classes with Victoria. Tonight has been the most fun I've had in months."

"I never knew."

"Why would you? They present me as this Agent who lives a life you could have one day. But you'll never have my life. One day, you'll be a trusted Agent. You'll be given your own bedroom, maybe even your own quarters. You won't have classes anymore. You'll only train and go on missions. Maybe in twenty years, you'll be retired and brought back as a teacher to replace me. I know where my life is going, and I will do whatever it takes to change it's course. And if that means sleeping with Trey, going on missions, and killing whoever they ask me too for the time being, I'll do it. Because I'm Issy. And that's just what Issy does."

"I… I know that one day I'll have to kill someone. But what if I can't do it?"

"You will. When the time comes, you'll pull the trigger. Because if you don't, you know that they'll pull it on you. A recruit who can't kill is useless to them. And a recruit who can't give their body on a mission is useless too. You played your part well tonight, really got into character. But what if you had to have sex with someone to get close to them. Would you be ready for that?"

"I'm only sixteen. I've never…"

"My first time was when I was ten. They groomed us from a young age and prepared for that aspect of being an Agent. You've had your classes, so you know what to expect. But actually doing it for the first time is very different. You have to remember that it's not you doing it, it's your cover."

"You said that when we're on our missions, we have to take the mind of our covers. How do you do it? I'm still Caitlin on the inside."

"Maybe. But Caitlin is a recruit. For me, when I'm here, I'm Issy. That's what you know me as. It's what the other Novum X'ers know me as. But back home, my Dad, my friends, they know me as Bella. She is a completely different person. She'd never hurt a fly. It made coping with everything they'd made me do easier. So what ever I have to do, it's Issy doing it. Find something from your childhood that is pure, and remind yourself that, that is who you really are. Not Caitlin."

"My Mom used to call me her Kitty Cat."

"So if you ever get out of this place, you can be Cat, the innocent little girl that was always in her sister's shadow but loved by her parents. Until then, you're Caitlin, the badass recruit."

"Thank you, Issy."

"It's just what I'm here for."

They both stayed staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes.

"Why have you told me all this?"

"I guess I trust you now."

"Why?"

"I see the same thing in you that I used to see in myself. You have every choice as to what you do next. You can choose to turn on your fellow recruits, side with the ghosts and become one of the best Agents they've ever had. Or you can be human. You can silently fight until we can be free. And then you can build a life for yourself."

Hearing feet moving along the hallway towards the bedroom doors, Bella sat up.

"I have to go. Your handler is coming. You won't see me again until you're back at the facility tomorrow. We have to get you prepped for your first mission. Get some good sleep tonight. We have a long day ahead."

Climbing out of the bed, she opened the door just in time as Caitlin's handler turned to it.

"She's all yours."

Walking from the room, Issy made her way back down to the reception, her limo waiting to take her back to the facility.


	28. Texas

**Texas**

_Bella's POV_

_20th June_

I'd spent the last two days with Victoria and Caitlin, drilling the plan of the first mission into her head. It was nothing too much. A simple data theft. No violence or killing would be needed; not unless things go South quickly. The target, Mr Carl Simpson. A CEO in a prospering information trading company. For three months, other agents had tracked his movements and tried to get close to him. There were unsuccessful in tapping his phone. And his phone was the key into the company. He lived in a quiet suburb outside Dallas, his office in the city. Every Wednesday and Friday, after finishing work at eight and on his drive home, he would stop at a bar, have a few drinks before returning home.

Caitlin and I would be posing as sisters, travelling around the country, living a free spirit life. We were booked in to play an hour of music in the bar, it being live night. That gave us our cover for being there, being close. If Mr Simpson turned up at the usual 8:20. He'd see the last ten minutes of our set from his regular seat at the bar. We would then take a table and Caitlin would go up to the bar, beside him. She'd engage him in conversation and attempt to distract him long enough to access his phone. I would observe from the table, and I would only intervene if necessary. It was a good starting point for Caitlin. From there, she, and the other recruits, would advance through a hierarchy of missions. Ones that would include interrogating targets, seducing them, having sex with them, and killing. Caitlin had practically shot herself in the foot for excelling in almost every field of training. She was the new me. She'd be picked for the missions no one wanted. The missions that were the most violent or emotional.

Sitting in the blacked-out car with Caitlin beside me, I flicked through the case file. Caitlin was fidgeting, clearly terrified, but she hid it reasonably well. Her leg was quivering slightly though. I grabbed her knee with my hand.

"Take a breath. Nothing is going to happen."

"Sorry."

I watched her take in a deep breath and let it out, her back relaxing against seat. The car pulled to a stop and the engine shut off. Closing my folder, I tucked it under my arm as I lifted out my blindfold. Before I secured mine, I ensured Caitlin fixed hers first. My sight taken, the doors of the car were opened, both of us being escorted out. I walked steadily, my hand on the arm of an Agent. I could hear Caitlin's stumbling feet, her fear of the unknown obvious. We were led up a small staircase and into an aeroplane. I'd been here many times before, the blindfold wasn't to scare or confuse, it was to keep us in the dark. They couldn't let us see anything outside. Or we'd be able to work out where in the world we were, and that may encourage us to escape. At least that's what happened last time.

I was sat in a comfortable chair and I pulled off the blindfolded. Caitlin was led in behind me, pushed down into the seat across from mine. Her form was stiff, scared. Our guards left the plane, closing the door behind them.

"You can take it off now, Caitlin."

She ripped the black material from her eyes and blinked rapidly, taking in the new environment. I leaned back in the chair, opening the file again.

"Breathe, we're alone now."

"Where are we?"

"On a plane headed for Dallas."

"But where's the plane?"

"I don't know."

Closing the file, I placed it to the table between Caitlin and me. I leaned forward and folded my hands together.

"If you knew where we are, you would be able to figure out where the facility is. And if you know that, you maybe tempted to leave, or tell someone. So they keep the location secret. You know we'll be on this plane for three hours. That doesn't mean it takes three hours to get to Dallas. We could already be in Texas and just be flying in a circle. Just take a breath, calm down, and enjoy the next three hours of peace."

"But…"

"Caitlin. It's okay. This is all normal. You'll get used to it. You may want to focus more on being fully prepared for the mission than where you are now. You need to know the plan inside and out, and every contingency. So you have a choice to either relax, or focus. I'm choosing to focus right now. It's been a long time since I've led a mission; I have just as much to prove as you."

She quieted after that, sitting back, her eyes wandering around the plane. The engines started up, and the pilot announced our preparation for take-off. Three hours passed with Caitlin and me practicing the songs we'd sing, me playing the guitar, and both of us singing. We also reread the mission file, committing it to her memory, and we talked through 'what if' scenarios so that she was prepared for almost anything that could be thrown at us. I wasn't expecting much to go wrong. I was anticipating reluctancy from Mr Simpson. That would be something Caitlin would have to bring under her control.

When the plane landed at a private landing strip, I unlocked the door and pushed it open. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, I enjoyed the feeling of the sun beating down on my face. The last time I'd seen the sun was when I was in Forks. And even then the sun's appearances were few and far between.

An old, rusting Ford sat on the tarmac. Our transportation. A man pulled a small staircase over before holding his hand out. I plonked down the steps and took the key from his palm. Opening the drivers door, I climbed in. Caitlin then appeared from the plane. I gave her a moment to take in the outdoor environment before I honked the horn. She looked scared for a moment and then ran down the steps and around to the other side of the car. When she was sat beside me, her door closed, I started the engine.

"You ready?"

She breathed in, held it, and nodded as she let it.

"Yes."

Pulling away from the plane, we were finally alone for the first time. But they were listening. We had our earpieces in before disembarking the aircraft. That didn't stop me from tearing away in the car and attempt to escape. If I did, they'd kill my Dad and probably the Cullens too. I had to wait until the perfect moment to make my escape. And I had to take Caitlin and the other recruits with me. In the last month, I had learnt that there were six classes of recruits other than the nine girls I'd been working with. They were the Upper Class. But there were another thirty girls that were fifteen or sixteen, they were Class A. Then there were Classes B, C, D, E and F. The girls in F were as young as five. And each class had between thirty and fifty recruits. It would be impossible to get them all out alive by myself. I just had to stay put and hope Zander and the others were coming for me. I knew they were.

On the drive into Dallas, Victoria and Dean ran through the mission one last time. By the time Dean had finished questioning Caitlin, we had arrived at the bar. There was just one small parking lot round the back reserved for staff. But we'd been given permission to park in it seeing as we were performing. Cutting the engine, I pulled my hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall down my back. I climbed out of the car, glancing back out to the road. With my guitar case over my shoulder, I led Caitlin into the front entrance of the bar. It was nearly half seven, we had an hour before Mr Simpson would arrive. An hour for Caitlin to get her head in the right place.

I spoke to the man behind the bar, and he gave us our instructions on setting up and then getting paid after. There was another man already performing, a light crowd sitting around the bar. They enjoyed the music, some applauding when the man finished, a respectful audience. As the man packed away his guitar, Caitlin and I prepared. We moved to the back of the room to grab two stools.

"Any cameras?"

"No."

"How many people?"

"17, including the two staff."

"Exits?"

"Main door at the front. And one through the kitchen to the staff parking lot."

I had to test her observations of the room, ensuring she was paying attention. We lifted the stools into the middle of the stage and shifted the microphones up. The man behind the bar brought us two bottles of cold water.

The familiar, but ghostly, thrill of a mission ran through me. As much as I hated it, I enjoyed the deception, I enjoyed the pure excitement of getting to be my true self. And this was my true self. Issy was who I was born to be. Bella was the act. She was who I wanted to be, but who I was never meant to be. The feeling of being invincible, of knowing I was capable of anything, was euphoric. And I'd missed it.

Strumming the guitar, my lips turned up. In this life, there are only a few times where I feel real happiness. But I felt safe, calm, and I could enjoy these next minutes before the real work began. Beside me, as she started singing, I could feel Caitlin relaxing, easing into the character. We both were having fun, genuinely laughing and smiling for the first time in a long time.

But the fun came to an end when Mr Simpson walked into the bar. He didn't look in our direction, going straight for his regular seat at the bar. Whilst I showed no reaction to his entrance, I noticed Caitlin stiffen. Despite no CCTV cameras being inside the bar, the ones out on the street had shown his arrival to Victoria, Dean, and the other recruits, who sat observing from the facility.

"His car is parked across the street, you have forty minutes before he'll leave."

Dean's hard voice came through our earpieces and Caitlin looked to me. I gave her a soft smile, reassuring her. We continued our performance, our voices gently singing the melody of 'Poetry by Dead Men' by Sara Bareilles. The final chord hung in the air, some of the customers turning to smile and applaud.

"Thank you."

My speaking voice drew Mr Simpson's attention, his head turning to look at the stage. His grey eyes glanced Caitlin up and down before his eyes looked over me. They lingered a second longer as I ran my hand through my hair, brushing out of my face. Standing, I put my guitar away in it's case, lifting it over my shoulder. I placed my hand to Caitlin's shoulder and gently nudged her forward.

"Ask for drinks. No alcohol, we don't need the attention."

She shuffled her feet forwards, her breathing heavy as she approached the bar. Her movement caught the eye of Mr Simpson, who looked up from where he sat. His eyes didn't stay on Caitlin before moving to me as I walked towards the door. I left the bar, going round to the parking lot to place my guitar away. It gave Caitlin the chance to make the first introduction to Carl. But his lingering eye told me all I needed to know. He wasn't interested in Caitlin, but he was in me. I knew I could finish this mission up pretty quick. What would that do though? This was about Caitlin learning and finding her own feet.

"Hi."

"That was really good. It's not often we get real talent in here."

Listening to Caitlin at the bar through my earpiece, I unlocked the old car, lifting my guitar into the trunk.

"Thanks. Can I get a Fanta and glass of water?"

"Sure. Are you sticking around here for a bit?"

"Yeah. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Drinks are on the house, part of the deal performing here."

"Great."

Silence fell for a second, the bar staff must have turned away to get the drinks. I didn't hear Caitlin move; she was sticking to the plan. She was fighting through her fear.

"You new to this area?"

Mr Simpson was hooked.

"Me? No. We're just passing through."

I opened the front door of the bar again, waving to Caitlin as I headed for a booth across from the bar. Carl glanced over his shoulder when she signalled her hand back to me. I slid into the booth, lifting the food menu in pretence. The bar guy placed two glasses in front of Caitlin but turned away at a couple needed serving. Caitlin took a sip of the water before lifting both glasses.

"She your sister?"

"Yeah."

"She doesn't look much like you."

"We have different Mom's."

"Who's older?"

"Meg is. Only a couple months though. She never lets me forget it."

"Yeah, I know how that feels."

Placing the glasses back down, Caitlin slid onto the bar stool, leaning forward a little.

"Brother or sister?"

"Half-sister."

"I love Meg, but is it just me, or are older sister's the worst? A brother would be more protective, but a sister is just bossy."

He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. My lips turned up as I glanced up. Caitlin was a natural. Drawing in the otherwise solitary man. Relaxed and more comfortable, Mr Simpson had placed his phone into his jacket pocket. If Caitlin played it right, it would be easy for her to fish it out unnoticed. Then, all she had to do was press it against the device in her pocket for three minutes to steal all its information.

"You look like you've survived your sister's reign though. What's the secret?"

"Find something that makes you better than them."

"Easier said then done. Meg's the best at everything."

"You're a young, pretty girl, you might just need someone to help you find that thing. I know a few people that would be happy to help."

I know his kind. Mr Simpson was the sort of pig that thought he could take anything he set his eyes upon. And whilst his eyes had landed on me at the start of the night, they'd shifted to Caitlin's naïve eyes. This had been something to expect though. Caitlin had to prove she could handle him without outright saying no.

"Really? What sort of thing do you think I'd be good at?"

His eyes raked her body and he leaned towards her.

"That depends on what you like?"

Sitting up straighter, Caitlin blinked innocently, pretending to have missed the true meaning of his question.

"I mean, I've just graduated High School, so I don't really know. I like athletics, but Meg's a better track runner than me."

Bowing my head, I spoke quietly for her to hear me through the earpiece.

"Tell him I have better stamina."

"…She has better stamina. I like tech. I was part of the robotics club my Sophomore year. I guess I'd like to find a job in that industry."

"Are you planning on going to College?"

"Not this year. I want to travel, but I need to find work to do as I travel so that I can afford it."

"Where do you want to travel?"

"The plan is Europe. Australia sounds good too. There's a big backpacker culture there."

"Italy is nice. My wife goes to Milan to shop one week every year."

"You're married? I bet you have two great private school kids too. Must be nice."

I immediately knew Caitlin had phrased that poorly. I knew what her intention had been, she was just trying to keep things casual. But the way she spoke made Mr Simpson suspicious. He instantly shut down from her, leaning away and swigging back his glass of whiskey. If we were going to complete this mission, I'd have to do it. So I shifted out of the booth, making my way over to the pair.

"Jane? What's going on?"

She let out a small breath and smiled up at me.

"Sorry Meg, this is… Sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Carl…"

"Carl, this is my sister Meg. We just got talking."

"Nice to meet you Carl."

He grinned up at me, his eyes lingering on my chest. At least he'd relaxed a little.

"It's nice to meet you too, Meg, your sister has told me a lot about you already. But I'm afraid I have to be heading home now."

Stepping between Mr Simpson and Caitlin, I leaned into his ear.

"Wait thirty seconds then meet me in the bathroom. You can go home after."

I moved back, placing my hand to Caitlin's side. Mr Simpson's eyes had widened slightly, and he stared up at me. With him completely distracted, I slipped my hand into her pocket, switching my phone with the cloning device.

"I'm just going to use the restroom, I'll be back in a minute. It was nice to meet you, Carl."

Turning around, I made my way to the back corner of the bar. There was a door leading to a small hallway with two doors on either side. I hadn't seen anyone come down to the bathrooms in the last five minutes, so I knew they were empty. I'd only have a couple seconds to relay the new plan to Victoria and Dean, Caitlin biding Mr Simpson goodbye.

"I'll slip the device into his jacket pocket before he takes it off, then when he puts it back on, I'll take it back."

"You have to go through with this, Agent."

"I know."

The door opened, Mr Simpson hurrying in. I moved around him, sliding the bolt shut.

"I've seen you looking at me since you walked in. Plenty of men have used my sister to get to me."

"I wouldn't say I used your sister to get to you. She's pretty enough herself."

I leaned back against the basins as he stood in front of me. He pushed his body against mine, his hard crotch pressing into my hip. Running my hands around his sides, I dropped the device into his pocket that held his phone.

"She doesn't know how to have fun like I do."

His lips turned up into an excited smirk. Grabbing my sides, he crashed his lips to mine. I let him. I let him pull at my pants. I let him drop his own. I let him fuck me hard. My fake pants spurred him on, pretending to enjoy what we were doing. I knew everyone was listening through my earpiece, but I didn't care. I was doing my job.

It didn't take long. He came within a few minutes and I faked an orgasm at the same time. He let out a long breath and pulled his pants back up, staring at me.

"How long are you staying in town?"

"We're leaving tomorrow."

"Shame. I would have liked to see you again. Maybe you could give me a private performance before you go."

Chuckling lightly, I shook my head and jumped down from the basin.

"Sorry. I don't do that. I just like to have some fun every now and then."

"As do I."

With both our clothes affixed in place, I unbolted the door.

"Maybe I'll see you around next time I'm in town."

"Sure. Goodnight, Meg."

"Goodnight Carl."

As I walked back over to Caitlin at the bar, Mr Simpson headed for the door. Caitlin gave me a sorry smile, looking up at me.

"I did what I had to do."

We sat for another fifteen minutes, finishing up our drinks before we got back in the old car and drove to the airfield. Since I'd returned from the bathroom, Caitlin's mood had been very low. She blamed herself, and rightly so, for what I had to do. But it was all part of the learning curve. The other recruits had to be aware of what it can take to complete a mission. And they'd have to be just as prepared to do the same as I was. Only then could they be great Agents. They still had a long way to go though.


	29. Island

**Island**

_Bella's POV_

_20th July_

It had been a month. A month of missions. I'd barely had a moment to myself. Two days after Caitlin's mission, I was pulled away from the facility to France on a case. After four days there, I was then flown to meet Trey in Poland. From there we'd travelled across the world together. We barely got to actually see the world, spending the entire time working, but the hotel rooms and apartments were nicer than the solitary room in the facility. Trey and I had been sharing a bed together, and he'd pushed for us to have sex. I wanted to, but I had a bad feeling. I wasn't sure what they were planning, but there was a bigger plan than they were telling me. They trusted me though, Sebastian and Trey at least. I had seen Victoria twice in the last month, and I could see it in her eyes; she knew I wasn't with them. She hadn't said anything though.

Every few days I was given updates as to the other recruits progress. They'd all begun to work as active Agents, taking missions in groups, being monitored by Dean and Max. From what I was told, they were doing well. Each were finding their feet, some faster than others. I didn't like the thought of not being there for them. The longer I was gone, the more I would lose them. I had entrusted Caitlin with my greatest secret. I only hoped she would keep the other girls on side too.

"Is, we've got another one."

Trey and I were on a private jet heading back to the States. We were supposed to be returning to the facility, but I guess that plan has changed. He turned his laptop around to face both of us. Victoria was on the screen, ready to fill us in on the new mission.

"There's not much to this next one. Your plane has been diverted to Cozumel. It's a little island off the coast of Mexico. A target has been tracked down to a private resort on the east coast. We don't have a recent picture of the target, so you have to identify him and eliminate him. You both are going in as newlyweds on your honeymoon. You've just been sent your profiles. You have four days to complete the mission. How you want to take out the target is up to you, but we want it natural. Take the time you need, get it done, and have some fun. We'll see you in a few days."

She hung up the video call, the screen going black. Trey turned the computer back to him and I lifted my iPad. Guess I'm Jessica now. The new Jessica McCardle, 22, personal shopper. Daughter of a wealthy family in New York, only a High School Diploma. Married a family friend, John McCardle, 23, in the process of getting a Law degree to follow in the footsteps of his Father. Just another simple cover story. Easy.

The target is a sixty-eight-year old man, Dr Harold Pritchard. A medical professional who abandoned his life five years ago. He just fell off the face of the planet, no credit card transactions, no phone, no registered address, nothing. He was just a ghost. The file didn't say how they had found him, not that it was any of my business.

"Looks like we'll have plenty of time to have some fun. We can surveillance the target for the first two days, maybe make contact before we take him out. We've been so busy recently, it would be nice to go for a swim, or get a drink."

"Sounds like a plan. It would be nice to work on my tan."

For the next hour, we formulated a solid plan before the plane touched down on a private landing strip. There was a wardrobe on the plane filled with clothes for any occasion, all in my size. I'd changed into a tight fitting, but modest, white dress. Picking out a pair of Jimmy Choo's, and Michael Kors purse, I stood beside Trey. The plane door was opened, and a car waited for us.

We were staying in a villa at the same resort as Dr Pritchard. Our car pulled up outside the main building and the doors opened for us. Trey wound his arm around my waist, pecking my lips, already playing our parts. After checking in, we were placed in a golf cart and driven through large resort grounds to our private villa. It had an ocean view, no expense spared by the Ghosts.

"Enjoy your stay Mr and Mrs McCardle."

The porter left us be, our bags having been brought over when we were checking in. Usually Trey would immediately go to his laptop and start setting up cameras around the place. But he didn't. Instead, he turned to me and lifted my hands. Pulling me into his chest, I let out a long breath, tired from the long month of work and the flight.

"I know you haven't wanted to do anything with me Is, not since what you did in Texas. But I really want to have some fun Issy. You know how I feel about you."

He cupped my face, his thumb running over my cheek. His other hand slid down my side, taking hold of my hip. When he leaned down to peck my lips, I didn't push him away. Groaning quietly, I ran my fingers into his hair.

"It wasn't that. You know I can separate myself from the job."

"Then what? Why won't you let yourself be with me?"

"We've just been so busy. And I don't want Sebastian or Victoria doubting that I am committed to my missions. I won't them to be successful just as much as they do. This is who I am now, this is just who I have to be."

I pressed my lips to his and hummed.

"We're supposedly just married and just arrived on our honeymoon, why don't we do what we're meant to do and take our clothes off?"

He stared down at me, his lips spreading across his face. I ran my hands up his chest and started unbuttoning it. Pressing his lips to mine, he held my hips against his. With his shirt on the floor, I took his hand and led him through the villa to the bedroom.

I pushed him down onto the bed and straddled his lap. He groaned loudly into my mouth, his hands grabbing my thighs. Rolling my hips over his, I dug my nails into his chest. Trey used his speed and ability to flip me onto my back in the middle of the bed. His fingers ripped the back of my dress and he tossed it behind him. Running his hands over my body, he touched me in all the right places. I was finally ready to let my walls down. At least for a little while.

Groaning, I bucked my hips up to his. He sat up over me, quickly whipping his pants and boxers off. I snapped my bralette off and lay my head back into the pillows. Gazing up at Trey, my lips twitched at the sight of his naked body above me. He certainly is fit, his toned abs prominent. I am definitely attracted to him. Who wouldn't be?

"We're going to have a lot of fun here."

Flipping him over, I climbed onto his hips again. I sat up, pushing my underwear down. Shifting out of the thin material, I wiggled my hips over his. He groaned and gripped my thighs. Lowering down around his length, my back arched and I moaned loudly. I placed my hands to his pecs, steadily lifting my hips up and down on him.

"Issy…"

Trey groaned, his usually stiff body relaxing into the King-sized bed. Moving faster, I could feel every one of my nerve endings tingling. My jaw opened wide as I let out one long moan. I came hard just as Trey tensed and shot his cum deep inside of me. Riding out both our orgasms, I stayed on his hips, bringing my breathing under control.

"I was stupid saying no for so long."

"Yeah. You were."

I was suddenly underneath him, his lips on mine.

It was then that I knew this was going to be a good few days.


	30. Fun

**Fun**

_Bella's POV_

_20th July_

After three hours, I'd convinced Trey that we should get out of bed and scout out the island. He didn't think it necessary. And it wasn't. Not really. The mission was easy enough. I just wanted to get outside, enjoy the sunshine whilst I could.

I slipped into a bikini and pulled a sun dress on over the top. Stepping out of the gorgeous bathroom, I shook my hair off my shoulders and slid a pair of sunglasses onto my head. Trey was sitting on the side of the bed, putting on his converse.

"You know, its not too late to stay here until dinner. We were only just starting to have some fun."

"I know, but I want to get a scout of the resort. And then I want to go for a swim in the ocean."

Standing in front of him, I ran my fingers through his hair.

"When was the last time you had some fun? Some real fun? We'll check out the island, then we can relax on the beach and have a few minutes to be normal."

"We aren't normal, Issy. We can't pretend to be normal."

"C'mon. Live a little Trey. Together we can change the way the ghosts operate. We can still live whilst doing what we're good at. Let's take control. Why shouldn't we?"

"You really want to take control?"

"Why not? We have always been the ones with the power. It's about time they showed us a little respect. I don't care about making all the decisions or anything. I just want a say in which cases we take. And I don't think it's too much to ask to get some vacation time? We travel the world, but we never get to see any of it."

"I'll talk to David when we get back. Lay out our demands going forward."

My lips turned up and I leaned down. Kissing him slowly, I hummed softly before pulling away.

"Now let's get to the beach."

Grabbing his hand, I dragged him up onto his feet. He groaned but gave in, knowing there was nothing that would stop me from going out. One of his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into his side. Stepping out into the bright sunshine, I leaned my head back and took in the hot rays. Around our private villa were sets of hedges so no one could look in. The path from the door led down to the beach walkway. Pulling my sunglasses over my eyes, we turned towards the resort's main building. I stared out at the crystal blue waters as waves gently rolled over the golden sand. I hadn't seen anything so beautiful in so long. This was peace. This was the calm, uneventful life that I desperately wanted.

Leaving the quiet of the private walkway, we stepped into the main plaza of the resort. There was a large pool with two rows of loungers lined around it. The end of the pool had a bar embedded within it, people sitting on stools under the water, sipping at their drinks. At the other end of the pool was the main hotel building with the restaurants, bar and café. Trey led me round to the building, entering through the archway. On one side was the buffet restaurant, mostly used by those staying in the hotel itself. On the other side was the bar, already busy despite it only being three o'clock. Continuing through the building to the front, we stepped into the beach front café. I glanced around quickly. The target wasn't inside, but I couldn't see the patio from here. Stepping up to the counter, I smiled across at the young server.

"What can I get you?"

"Two bottles of diet coke, and a ham and cheddar sandwich."

I looked up at Trey and pecked his lips. With the server placing the bottles and wrapped sandwich in front of us, Trey lifted out his wallet to pay.

"What's the quickest route down to the beach from here?"

"If you go out onto the balcony, there are stairs at the end. The path takes you straight to the beach."

"Thanks."

"Have a good day."

I lifted the sandwich and one of the bottles, Trey the other. We moved out through the French doors into the bright sunshine. Squinting, I pulled my sunglasses back over my eyes. As we walked through the lines of tables, we passed our target. Dr Pritchard. He looked older than his picture, years older. His eyes were tired, his face wrinkled and his head balding. He was sat at a table halfway between the stairs and the café doors, looking out over the low railing at the calm water. We'd been sent to handle several unsuspecting, even innocent, people before, but something felt off about this one.

For one thing, we'd been sent in with very little information regarding the target, as if they were hiding something from us. And then there's the fact that we've been given four days to complete the mission. Usually when we were given more than two days, it was to gather intel, to get close to the target. This… this was all wrong.

Not stopping, we continued down onto the beach and found two loungers in a quiet spot on the far end. I sat back, lifting my feet to enjoy the sun. Trey was hunched over on his lounger, his feet in the sand, his elbows on his knees. He was thinking.

"Relax. Lie back and work on your tan. Pritchard isn't going anywhere. This is the closest we're getting to a vacation. Enjoy it."

"We don't know anything about Pritchard. What if he's expecting us? He could disappear any minute."

"We'll get him before he does. There are only two flights a day on and off the island. And we'll be notified if any private jets are scheduled."

"I still think we should be doing something."

"We'll watch him tonight, and then tomorrow, we can execute an approach."

Standing up, I pulled off my sundress, revealing the skimpy bikini underneath. I could feel Trey's on my body. Sliding back onto the sunbed, I kicked off my sandals and lifted my feet. With my sunglasses over my eyes, I relaxed every muscle in my body. I listened to the quiet shifting of Trey as he copied my position, staring up at the clear blue sky.

For an hour, I let my mind go blank. I separated my mind from my body, letting pure tranquillity take over. My enhanced hearing meant I could hear the gentle waters crawling over the hot sand. The sound of it entranced me.

My peace couldn't last forever though. Trey broke me from my state too anxious to lay still any longer. Instead of going to work, I convinced him to go for a swim with me. I needed to use this time to show him I was on their side, that I wanted to make a life of it. And that meant having some fun.

We stayed down the quiet end of the beach at first, splashing each other and trying to tackle each other under the water. But we were both fully aware of the people along the beach, sometimes glancing at us. So we swam around the cove and found a small beach surrounded by trees, completely inaccessible by land. I walked out of the water ahead of Trey, swaying my hips as I ran my hands through my dripping hair. Glancing over my shoulder, I untied the back of my bikini top. His lips turned up and he stared up at me. I dropped the bottoms and lay myself out on the hot sand. Trey crawled over the top of me, his hands running up my sides.

"See, this is fun."

"Yes, I guess it is."

Leaning up, I pecked his lips and pulled his head down to mine. He rolled his body over mine before whipping his wet swimming shorts off his legs. I lifted one leg up around his hip, the sand shifting under my body. Humming into his lips, I rubbed my pelvis against his. In the next instance, his thick length was deep inside my core. Battling against my lips, he thrust up into me. I groaned loudly, pleasure coursing through my veins. He moved faster and harder, pounding into my centre. This was the raw, primal sex that my body needed in the moment. Biting on his bottom lip, I let out a guttural groan and came heavily. Trey's body tensed above me before a shiver ran all the way down his spine and he exploded. He rocked his hips for a few seconds longer, riding out our orgasms. Rolling off me, he collapsed back on the sand, both of us staring up at the sky. I was the first to get up, pulling my bikini back on. Wadding into the cool waters, I started swimming back round the cove, the sand washing off my body.

Reaching shallow enough water, I stood up, pushing water and my hair out of my face. Quite a few of the beach layers had gone. It was getting late in the afternoon, people returning to their rooms or villas to clean up for dinner. Lifting a hairband, that I'd left on top of my sundress, I scrapped my hair back out of my face and off my neck. When I had my dress over my wet bikini, Trey wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me into his chest. He pressed his lips to my shoulder before lifting his shoes.

"Go find Pritchard. I'll shower before dinner then we can start our surveillance."

We started walking up the beach.

"I'll start with the villas on the far side and work my way around the resort."

He pecked my lips and turned left along the path. I continued following it forward, back up to the café, that was now closed, but the door open to walk through. I slowly wandered back through the resort. My eyes wandered, counting out security cameras on the sides of buildings, taking note of the patrolling security teams in their golf carts and mapping out the different paths through the trees and bushes, but I also enjoyed the time alone. It was the first time in months that I was completely alone, no Trey, no earpiece, no CCTV. And it was amazing. Keeping track of the mission detailing, I let my mind drift.

I thought about Edward. It was July. He would have graduated High School by now. He should be getting ready to start College in the Fall. Probably State, but he could have got into Penn if he wanted it. He'd always been smart, always excelled in every class he took. Before. Before they came for me. We'd talked about going to College together. Wanting to stay close to home, close to family, we'd both worked on our applications to Washington state over the last summer. At least one of us would still get to go. Even when I am freed of this life, I couldn't go back to Edward. I had to let him go. I had to let him live his own life without my darkness in it. He deserves so much more than what I could ever give him. No matter what, I'll always be looking over my shoulder, always running. That's just the way it has to be. Me, alone forever.


	31. Dr Pritchard

**Dr Pritchard**

_Bella's POV_

_21st July_

Trey had identified Pritchard sitting in the resort bar. We went for dinner in the restaurant across from it's doors, one of us always keeping watch out of the corner of our eye. When the restaurant started to close at ten, we moved ourselves into the bar, taking a quiet booth in the corner. If Pritchard was expecting us, he didn't know it was us that was here for him. He was too drunk to know anything. The bar was a little busy, so I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I watched his jaw moving as he rambled. He spoke to no one in particular, his body hunched over the bar, his head down. The staff had politely asked other guests to leave for having drunk too much. They didn't ask him. He never asked for a drink, someone placing a new one in front of him every half an hour. He'd been here a while. At the resort. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd have been here a few years. It was an easy place to disappear to. Twenty minutes before the bar was supposed to close, Trey and I left. We lingered outside, feigning drunk and making out. A few other drunk vacationers stumbled out and towards the hotel reception before Pritchard stumbled out himself. He walked slowly along the path, his hands shoved in his pants pockets, his shoes dragging over the concrete. Once he'd gone round the corner, we straightened up and followed. Our bodies processed alcohol differently, meaning we couldn't get drunk. No matter how much alcohol we consume, it has no effect on our bloodstream. It makes it easier to blend in on missions and stay focused. We don't have to pretend to drink, so no one needs be suspicious of us.

We followed the target at a distance, watching him until he let himself into his villa on the far side of the resort. Trey then jogged off to our villa whilst I moved around the hedges and palm trees. Dr Pritchard's curtains were left open to the open plan sitting room and kitchen. From the dark outside, I watched him flick the light on and open his fridge. He lifted out a beer bottle and take a swig. He collapsed onto the couch, passing out almost immediately.

Trey came back, a bag thrown over his shoulder. I placed one hand to his shoulder and pecked his lips.

"He's asleep. Doubt he'll wake up till the afternoon."

"Stay quiet."

He lifted out his laptop from the bag before I took it from him. Silently climbing through the hedge and over the low wall, I gently pulled on the sliding French door. Unlocked. He was making this easy. Slipping inside, I set the bag down and lifted the box of tiny cameras, each almost the size of a pea. Here, in this heat, they looked a bit like bugs. Sticking them around the villa, I slipped out of the doors.

"How's it looking?"

"All up and running. You got a good angle on the front door. We'll know whenever he leaves."

"Okay. Now, why don't we go back to our own villa and have some more fun?"

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but I'm liking this new side of you, Is."

"I've realised that I can have some fun doing all this. Who else gets to say they travel the world every day of the year, doing something that they were born to do? We're different Trey, we're the most powerful people in the world. I'm done being afraid."

He swung his bag back over his shoulder before grabbing my hand. His lips crashed to mine and I melted into his chest. Just because I didn't trust Trey, didn't stop me from falling in love with him. We'd always been close before. Trey, Anabel, and I were the holy trinity back in the day. Together, we were unstoppable. And our unique abilities were some of the deadliest. Before, when we were kids, I had always felt like the third wheel though. We were each paired. We don't know how, or why, but each of us has another that we are naturally drawn too. Everyone expect Zander and me. X1-26 and X1-27 had never made it. They never told us why, never even mentioned it. But we assumed they were dead. There was no other explanation to them never having entered the program.

Waking early the next morning, I went for a run to place the remaining cameras around the resort before Trey woke. He then pulled me back into bed for a few hours, neither of us sleeping. We spent the day on the private beach for those staying in the villas only. It was much quieter than the main beach, only twenty other people out on the stretch of sand. Whilst I spent the time relaxing, Trey was monitoring all the cameras we'd placed around the resort and in Pritchard's villa. He didn't do much. He woke late, trudged about his villa before finally going up to the café in the early afternoon. There he sat, drinking his tea at the same table as yesterday, until he moved down to the private beach. He sat under an umbrella shade, his relatively pale skin suggesting the fact that he would burn quite easily. He didn't move again until seven o'clock, when he made his way to the bar to eat and drink.

His actions only confused me further. We'd come all this way to take out a high priority target, but he showed no sign of activity that would suggest it couldn't wait a week, or a month. When I'd placed the cameras in his villa, I'd made a quick search. But there was hardly anything there. He had one suitcase worth of clothes, a photo frame of his wife and two children from at least five years ago, and a fridge full of beer. I hadn't looked in the safe, but I doubted there was anything important in it. He just didn't seem like the Ghosts regular target. He was just an aging man, living out the rest of his life at a tropical island resort. Why we had to kill him was a question I really wanted answered.

That night, Trey and I put our approach into action. We went to dinner as usual. But Trey made a point of letting his eyes linger on women. Putting a show on for the resort's guests, we started arguing. At first we were quiet, whispering under our breaths. Trey played his part, pretending it was all harmless and just a joke. I threw my napkin down onto my plate and stood up. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me from walking off. I shouted at him and stormed away. He chased after me. The diners stared as we left, those we passed outside were confused by my aggressive march and Trey chasing me. I let him catch up and slapped him across the face.

"My sister told me about Candace!"

He stood still, feigning shock. I stormed off through the trees and hedges, keeping up the act of being the heartbroken, angry, betrayed wife. I went down to the beach, sitting on the end of one of the loungers. As there were still a few guests sunbathing in the setting sun, I pretended to cry, sobbing dry tears into my hands. I waited twenty minutes before going back up to the square. Entering the bar, a few people glanced at me, having witnessed the argument in the restaurant not long ago. I didn't care about them though. My target was sitting on the same stool as the night before, drinking the same whiskey. I sat beside him and asked the bartender for a shot and martini. Drinking as much as I could for the next hour, I watched him get more and more drunk, pretending to do the same.

"Why are men all pigs?"

Pritchard glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I was staring forwards at a bottle on the shelf behind the bar.

"I give everything to him. I spend two years following him. I chose not to go to College in England because he wanted to live together in New York. I watched him flirt with girls all the time, but I ignored it. Then when my sister tells me he'd been seeing some girl called Candace, I didn't believe her. I'm done. I'm not going to let him get away with it anymore. He's fucked me about too long and I can't be married to someone like that."

"All men are like that. Always wanting more than they have. Never satisfied."

"I just… I just wish I could make him happy. Because he does make me happy. And we're good together, you know? He's the first guy that ever understood me. We're from the same world, grew up together. We're completely compatible on paper, and I'm not ugly. So why am I not enough for him?"

Tears trailed down my face as I went on, rambling about our lives and how much I'd done for him and how little he gave in return. I just kept going on and on, making it up at I went. I could tell Pritchard was barely listening, zoning me out as he continued to drink. Over my crying, I stopped talking and downed a couple more drinks of my own.

"Animals… they're all dangerous… just the way I made them… the changes… the fire… the darkness… the killing. Testing… labs… testing… labs… testing… labs…"

He mumbled under his breath, not forming full sentences, his words making little sense. He was a doctor in bioengineering, he would have done all sorts of testing. But I wasn't going to assume anything. We weren't asked for intel, so his work wasn't of interest to the Ghosts. So why the interest in him at all?

As with last night, he continued to ramble on. I listened, trying to thread together the strands he gave me. I gathered that he'd been involved in a government experiment on animals. That it had expanded into testing on humans and gone wrong.

"Lions… falcons… deer… zebras… panthers… hummingbirds… dolphins… rhinos… lynx… bears… hares… and the wolf. The mighty wolf… uncontrollable… destruction… Always so defiant… so unpredictable. Decades of testing, of trials… Finally the lion won. The lion… the lion of speed. 123 tests and it was the lion that won out first."

My entire body tensed. My grip on my glass tightened. My eyes widened slightly, and I held my breath. He knew. He knew about us. He knew what we were. There's no coincidence in his words and what we do know about ourselves. Trey's X1-23, the one hundred and twenty third recruit in the program. They'd tested on us, experimented. I was the fire, Zander the darkness, Trey the speed. But 'the lion of speed'? That I didn't understand. What does the lion mean? And why was the wolf uncontrollable or destructive?

"We took them… stole them from their beds… Cut them open… carved out their souls… Machines… Murderers… Inhumanity."

I sat, listening to him babble. But he started repeating himself, nothing new coming from his mouth. He knew everything about us. He knew who we are, what we are. I had to find a way of talking to him sober before we kill him. Get him to tell us everything.

As the bar was closed up, I pretended to stumble back to our villa, desperate to tell Trey what I had learned. He opened the door and pulled me into his arms. Before he could pick me up, I pushed him back. Completely distracted for the first time in my life, I grabbed his strong arms and stared up at him.

"He knows us. Trey, he made us like this. Dr Pritchard knows everything. We have to talk to him, get him to tell us why we're different, what they did."

"Issy, calm down. You don't know what you're saying. The target has nothing to do with us or the program."

"You didn't hear him, Trey."

"What did he say?"

"He talked about tests and labs and all these animals. And then he said '123 tests and it was the lion that won out first'. He was talking about you, Trey. They did something to us genetically, adapted our DNA with animal DNA."

"Issy, that's insane. You don't know what you're saying. Dr Pritchard was a bioengineer. He would have worked with hundreds of animals, including lions. And he would have done millions of tests. The number 123 could relate to anything. You heard what you wanted to hear."

"I know what I heard Trey. There's plenty the ghosts will never tell us about what we are. We can talk to Dr Pritchard and find out for ourselves. Victoria and Sebastian never need to know. Don't you want to know the truth?"

"I do, but the target doesn't have the answers. Leave it be Is. We're here on a mission, and that doesn't include any intel gathering. I thought you were on our side, Issy. I trusted you."

Taking a deep breath, I let go of his arms. He was staring down at me disapprovingly. I stepped away from him and ran my hand through my hair.

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me. You're right. I've just been so stressed this last month. You know I've done everything I can to impress Sebastian. It's been a lot to jump straight back into. Eighteen missions in a month. I'm not used to all this Trey. And I've barely slept all week. I think I need a break. Just a couple of days to centre myself again."

He continued staring down at me as I held my head, pretending to be mentally exhausted. After a minute, he sighed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, holding me tightly to him.

"It was wrong of us to assume you were ready for all this again, Is. We should have eased you back in. I'll tell Sebastian you need a break. But you need to talk to Victoria when we get back, tell her how you're feeling."

"I will. It would be good to see the other recruits too. I've been worried about them."

"I know you have. But they're fine. The handlers know what they're doing. Come on, let's go to bed. We'll stay in bed till late in the morning, then we can continue the mission as planned. Once it's done, you can take some time to yourself."

"Thank you."

Hugging him tightly, I closed my eyes, my head pressed into his shoulder. I pulled back a little and smiled up at him.

"I love you, Trey."

"I love you too, Issy."

He lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. Laying my head heavily to his shoulder, he carried me to the bed. I curled into his chest, closing my eyes.

I couldn't trust Trey. He was too far gone. There was nothing I could do to bring him back to us. He'd spent too long on the inside, too long following their way. That's why Zander had never received any truly useful information from him. He was deceiving him. He would have been deceiving him for years. I was in this alone now. The ghosts had been right. I could only rely on myself. There was no one else.


End file.
